Asia Economics Update September PMIs suggest manufacturing may have turned a corner The September PMIs for Emerging Asia show that manufacturing conditions have improved, with the headline number increasing in all six economies. Moreover, a broad-based rise in the new orders... 1st October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Fall in Tunisia’s government not a major economic setback News that Tunisia’s government has agreed to step down at some point over the next few weeks provides a further reason to think that growth there will remain sluggish and that fiscal reforms may slip... 30th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: trade deficit to keep pressure on the rand South Africa’s trade deficit was wider than expected in August, as the ongoing weakness of the rand led to a surge in the local-currency cost of oil imports. In turn, a widening trade deficit could... 30th September 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Quick-fire reforms won’t prevent renewed taper-turbulence Suggestions that policymakers in troubled emerging markets (EM) now have a window of opportunity to reduce external vulnerabilities before the Fed begins to taper miss the point that these countries’... 27th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigeria bucks the inflation trend... for now Inflation has edged up in most countries in Africa in recent months, but Nigeria has bucked the trend. Here, inflation dropped to its slowest pace since April 2008 last month. This has been due in... 26th September 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor Talk of “Great Deceleration” overlooks recent stabilisation Despite recent talk of a “Great Deceleration” in the emerging world, our GDP Tracker suggests that EM growth has stabilised – albeit at a weak pace – over the past few months. 26th September 2013 · 1 min read
EM Valuations Monitor Regional divergence in stock market valuations The recovery in emerging market equities – up almost 6% on average since this time last month – has boosted price/earnings ratios across almost all the major regions. From a historical perspective... 25th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Equity markets rebound on back of Syria deal & Fed decision Equity markets have recovered some of their earlier lost ground as concerns overWestern military intervention in Syria, as well as fears of a tapering of QE3 by theUS Federal Reserve, have eased. 25th September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Short-lived relief for India and Indonesia Last week’s surprise decision by the US Fed to delay tapering of its QE programme provided an immediate boost to currencies and equity markets across Asia, including those in two of the region’s most... 24th September 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Few signs of EM inflation pressures Emerging market inflation edged down in August and there’s little evidence to suggest that there will be a significant rise in price pressures over the coming months. 24th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigerian interest rates to stay on hold for prolonged period The weakness of the naira and concerns over loose fiscal policy meant the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) kept interest rates on hold at 12.00% today, despite inflation remaining comfortably below... 24th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update African markets rally as Fed delays tapering The surprise decision by the US Fed to delay the tapering of its asset purchases this month has provided a temporary reprieve for emerging market assets, including those in Africa. In light of this... 23rd September 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Fed brings some relief to EM currencies Financial markets across the emerging world have rallied in the wake of the Fed’s decision to delay QE tapering, easing concerns that several EMs were on the cusp of currency crises. As it happens... 20th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update More Egyptian rate cuts could be on the way The Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) decision to cut interest rates by 50bp today shows that policymakers are fully focussed on supporting the economy. With the backing of aid from the Gulf, additional... 19th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: rates on hold despite Fed surprise The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) left rates on hold today and gave no indication that any change was likely in the foreseeable future. Growth remains below trend, but policymakers expect... 19th September 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update A reprieve for troubled EMs, but fundamental problems persist The Fed’s decision yesterday not to taper its asset purchases just yet provides some breathing room for the more troubled emerging economies. But their structural problems remain and uncertainty about... 19th September 2013 · 1 min read
