China Data Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Aug.) Broad credit growth continued to slow in August. However, a rebound in net new bank loans last month suggests that concerns about weak demand for credit, following a collapse in lending in July, were... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Aug.) Loan growth has remained stable in recent months though banks were predicting a sharp slowdown in lending following the sales tax hike. Nonetheless, we still think that borrowing will slow in the not... 11th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Cyprus foreclosure bill will help banks but hit households The Cypriot parliament passed a controversial bill on 6th September, reducing the time it takes toforeclose non-performing business loans and mortgages. While the bill is likely to help banks ahead... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African banking sector under scrutiny The Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) recent bailout of African Bank has raised concerns over the state of South Africa’s wider financial sector. But as we explain in this Watch, although other smaller banks... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Looser credit standards may help Italian firms More favourable terms and conditions for loans to Italian firms point to a possible pick-up ininvestment and industrial production in the coming quarters. However, there is little evidence we willsee... 8th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economic Outlook Treading water Economic growth in Latin America slowed further in the first half of 2014 and we see little chance of a strong rebound over the coming quarters. The key props to strong growth in the past decade are... 8th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Fed tightening and EM vulnerabilities: a stock-take A handful of EMs – mainly in Asia – have taken steps to reduce their external vulnerabilities in the wake of last year’s “Taper Tantrum”. But these countries are the exception rather than the rule... 5th September 2014 · 1 min read
China Economics Update New light on government borrowing Reforms just agreed should drastically reduce off-budget borrowing by local governments and make it much easier to monitor the build-up of government debt. These moves are long overdue but the fact... 3rd September 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Household Borrowing Monitor (Aug.) July’s household borrowing figures provided further signs that the consumer recoveryhas not been driven by an unsustainable credit binge. Meanwhile, mortgage lendinglooks set to recover gradually as... 1st September 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly UK better placed to weather another euro-zone storm With euro-zone activity indicators having softened over recent months, it looks as if the currency bloc’s nascent recovery is already losing steam. Without bolder policy action from the ECB, the risks... 29th August 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Weaker growth looms for twin deficit countries Ghana’s authorities bowed to the inevitable earlier this month by formally requesting assistance from the IMF in dealing with the country’s enormous twin budget and current account deficits. This... 29th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jul.) Although July’s euro-zone monetary data showed some further signs of improvement, the bigger picture is that lending is still contracting and the data suggest there is still a significant risk of... 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
China Economics Update On the cusp of another slowdown? China’s economy continues to face headwinds, particularly from the property sector. But the key lesson from recent months is that policymakers have plenty of tools at their disposal to shore up growth... 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Mexico turning the corner The past month has brought signs that Mexico’s economy is finally turning the corner. latestdata suggest that the Mexican economy has turned the corner. GDP expanded by a seasonally-adjusted 1.0% q/q... 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Dubai's GREs slowly tackling their debt problems Over the past month Dubai’s government-related entities (GREs), which were at the heart of the Emirate’s crisis in 2009, have made further efforts to tackle their huge mountains of debt. The recovery... 28th August 2014 · 1 min read
Global Central Bank Watch What did we learn from Jackson Hole? Last week’s gathering of central bankers at Jackson Hole served to underline the gulf between labour market conditions in the major advanced economies. We suspect that these differences will lead to a... 27th August 2014 · 1 min read