Latin America Economics Update Problems mounting for weak Argentine economy The Argentine economy was extremely weak in the second quarter and, with the government since defaulting on its debt, it seems that the situation will only get worse in the second half of this year... 25th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Prospects for EM currencies differ despite broad sell-off The sell-off in emerging market currencies so far this month has been broad-based, but we expect investors to become more selective soon. We think a number of currencies will probably rebound, while... 25th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil Election Watch – state of the race The latest opinion polls suggest that Brazil’s presidential election is going to go down to the wire, with support for President Rousseff stabilising in recent weeks. From the perspective of the... 24th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Falling commodity prices to help keep EM inflation subdued Recent falls in the prices of oil and a number of agricultural commodities add to the reasons to expect EM inflation to stay muted over the coming months. But while in aggregate we think that... 23rd September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus Colombia: towards a period of softer growth Colombia’s economy has been a rare bright spot in Latin America so far this year but, while we don’t expect growth to collapse, we do expect it to slow over 2015-16. This in turn is likely to mean... 23rd September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Lower oil prices are a problem for Lat Am, not the Gulf Major oil producers in the Gulf stand to lose the most in absolute terms from the recent fall in prices, but conservative management of the oil sector means that the region will simply save less. By... 22nd September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Towards a more nuanced view on EM rates We are often asked whether the next big move in EM interest rates will be up or down, but in truth the sheer diversity of the economies within the emerging world renders any “one-size-fits-all” rule... 17th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia: Slower GDP growth points to interest rate hold Today’s weaker-than-expected Colombian GDP data, which showed that the economy grew by 4.3% y/y in Q2 (from 6.4% y/y in Q1), are likely to tip the balance in favour of interest rates being left on... 16th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack EM currencies suffer further loses Emerging market (EM) currencies have had a rough ride recently, adding to what was already shaping up to be a poor year. Our synthetic EM exchange rate index is down by 1.5% against the dollar in the... 16th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Argentine peso has further to fall The Argentine government has introduced various measures in recent weeks to increase the availability of foreign currency in a bid to stem the depreciation of the peso in both official and unofficial... 15th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Recent EM currency falls partly a result of euro weakness There are good reasons to think that some EM currencies remain exposed to market turbulence as we move towards the first interest rate hike in the US. However, suggestions that the recent falls in EM... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update A period of low interest rates for Chile and Peru Interest rates were cut by 25bp in both Chile and Peru last night and policymakers have room to reduce rates further if growth continues to slow. With little chance of a significant rebound in growth... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexican industry to drive outperformance of the economy Today’s data provide yet further evidence that Mexican industry is turning the corner. With rising demand from the neighbouring US set to boost the manufacturing sector, and the government’s fiscal... 11th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Focus How important is urbanisation for long-run growth? The role of urbanisation in supporting growth in emerging markets is often overplayed. Although urbanisation can play an important role in supporting industrialisation, it doesn’t in itself drive... 11th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil Election Watch: What might a Silva presidency mean for the economy? The economic programme put forward by presidential hopeful Marina Silva is a step in the right direction insofar as it addresses many of the problems that have contributed to a general decline in... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM exports pick up, but commodity producers lag behind EM export growth picked up in July, continuing the trend seen over the previous four months, and more timely data suggest that it strengthened further last month. However, there is a growing... 9th September 2014 · 1 min read