Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM exports nearing a trough Exports from emerging markets continued to be dragged down in May by the impact of low commodity prices and the strength of the US dollar. But as these effects start to unwind over the second half of... 21st July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Assessing the outlook for post-sanctions Iran The recent nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 has rekindled investors’ interest in the Islamic Republic. In this Focus, we take a closer look at the outlook for Iran’s economy and explain... 16th July 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update Iran and the West make a deal, but stumbling blocks remain Today’s announcement of the deal reached between Iran and the West should, eventually, allow Iranian oil exports to return to their previous levels. However, the deal could still be disrupted by... 14th July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Revisiting the impact of Iran’s nuclear deal on the Middle East The long-awaited announcement that Iran has secured an agreement over its nuclear programme will have implications for the wider Middle East. In short, the economic impact is likely to be small... 14th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economic Outlook Still stuck in a rut The slowdown in EM growth should bottom out over the second half of this year, but we don’t foresee a significant rebound in 2016-17. 14th July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi debt issuance aimed at financial market development Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit is likely to reach an eye-watering 17.5% of GDP this year and the government has now turned to the bond market in order to help plug the gap. Some have argued that debt... 13th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Greece, China and the spillovers to EMs Recent events in China and Greece have generated plenty of gloomy headlines about the spillovers to emerging markets but so far the reaction in EM markets has been relatively limited. One reason could... 9th July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt & Saudi Consumer Prices (Jun.) The sharp fall in Egyptian inflation last month, to 11.4% y/y, confirmed that May’s surprise jump was a one-off. And with the headline rate likely to fall further in July, we think interest rate cuts... 9th July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Eqyptian pound has further to fall The Central Bank of Egypt has loosened its grip onthe pound over the past week and we think the currency probably needs to fall by at least another 5% in order to restore external competiveness... 8th July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Jun.) The drop in Saudi Arabia’s ‘whole economy’ PMI to a record low last month suggests that growth has slowed in the second quarter. Elsewhere, after a disappointing start to the year, Egypt’s economy is... 6th July 2015 · 1 min read
EM Valuations Monitor Valuations suggest another currency slump is unlikely Emerging market (EM) currencies were remarkably calm in June despite growing turmoil in the euro-zone. Our synthetic EM exchange rate against the dollar depreciated by 0.5% last month. But the big... 2nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia GDP (Q1) The pick-up in Saudi GDP growth in the first quarter of this year, to 2.4% y/y, was supported by a rebound in the oil sector and robust activity in the non-oil sector. These data confirm our view that... 2nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi external position deteriorating even before drop in oil prices The plunge in oil prices over the past year has forced Saudi Arabia to dip into its foreign exchange reserves, but one point that is often overlooked is that the Kingdom’s external position had been... 2nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Slump in BRICs manufacturing bottoming out June’s manufacturing PMIs suggest that the slump in manufacturing across the BRIC economies may be bottoming out. It’s a mixed picture across smaller EMs, with those in Central Europe doing well, but... 1st July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor EM growth still slowing, but non-BRICs are picking up EM growth continues to slow and, according to our GDP Tracker, is now at its weakest pace in almost sixyears. However, the slowdown has almost entirely been driven by further weakness in the BRICs... 30th June 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update A selection of our key calls This note summarises our key calls for emerging markets, emphasising where we differ from the consensus. Detailed projections (with specific numbers) are available in our regular publications on the... 30th June 2015 · 1 min read