UK Economics Weekly Rate rise this year still quite possible At the end of another tumultuous week in global financial markets, one of the most notable developments in the UK has been the further drop in interest rate expectations. But even after the shaky... 22nd January 2016 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Wet weather doesn’t dampen outlook for spending The official UK retail sales figures once again painted a different picture of high-street spending to anecdotal and survey evidence – this time indicating a far weaker month for retail sales in... 22nd January 2016 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Public Finances & Retail Sales (Dec.) While the latest figures brought some better news on the public finances, the Chancellor still looks likely to overshoot his target this year. Meanwhile, despite the sharp fall in retail sales in... 22nd January 2016 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Limited boost to corporate profits from cheaper oil Corporate profits have not risen much in response to lower prices of energy and other raw materials, as the gains have been highly concentrated in a few sectors. Looking ahead, the recent appreciation... 22nd January 2016 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Flash Manufacturing PMI (Jan.) The manufacturing PMI remained strong in January and suggests that economy activity continued to recover at a solid pace. 22nd January 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Lower privatisation targets would boost credibility With only two months of this fiscal year remaining, the finance ministry’s aim of raising nearly INR700bn in revenues through the privatisation of various state-owned companies looks impossible to... 20th January 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Iran sanctions relief: assessing the impact Sanctions relief should support a revival of Iran’s economy and a short period in which it enjoys growth of as much as 6-8%. But there is unlikely to be much impact on the rest of the region, either... 18th January 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update What does Taiwan’s election result mean for the economy? The weekend’s election result marks a major political landmark for Taiwan, with the anti-China Democratic People’s Party (DPP) winning not only the presidency, but also gaining control of the... 18th January 2016 · 1 min read
ECB Watch ECB on hold for now, but doves will win in the end After disappointing markets in December, we expect the ECB to indicate at its forthcoming meeting that the door is still open to bolder policy support. The Bank is unlikely to alter policy for now... 14th January 2016 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update “Clicks” fared better than “bricks” this Christmas The range of survey and anecdotal evidence out so far suggests that growth in high-street spending over the festive period as a whole was fairly reasonable. It is also clear that the gulf between... 14th January 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Poland’s populist shift bodes poorly for zloty & MT growth The lurch to a more populist policymaking agenda in Poland hasn’t made much difference to the near-term economic outlook, but it will harm medium-term growth prospects and, more immediately, depress... 13th January 2016 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Is sterling’s shaky start to the year a sign of things to come? A shift in market interest rate expectations, a spate of weak economic data and the looming “Brexit” vote are probably all partly to blame for sterling’s recent weakness. Although the currency looks... 13th January 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Argentina: Macri makes impressive start Mauricio Macri has made a strong start to his term as president of Argentina, tackling some of the country’s biggest macroeconomic distortions in his first month in office. There’s work still to do –... 12th January 2016 · 1 min read
UK Data Response BRC Retail Sales Monitor (Dec.) The latest BRC retail sales figures suggest that December was a reasonable, but hardly spectacular, end to a strong year for high-street spending. It appears that consumers did not exhaust their... 12th January 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Business hiring intentions warn of full-blown recession The Bank of Canada's fourth-quarter update on business intentions suggests that the economy is slipping back into recession, with shrinking investment soon to be accompanied by a downturn in... 11th January 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Elections in 2016 – what they mean for Asia In this first Weekly of 2016, we take our usual look at the important elections that are set to take place in Asia over the coming year, assessing the implications for policymaking and the region’s... 8th January 2016 · 1 min read
