Emerging Markets Economics Update An anatomy of the EM slowdown Despite the recent attention given to the EM slowdown, it actually began back in 2010, and growth has been stuck at a sluggish rate for the last two years. The BRIC economies account for much of the... 20th August 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Gulf’s stock market rally loses steam Equity markets in the Gulf have been among the best performers in the world over the previous year, but they’ve flat-lined during the past month. The one exception is Saudi Arabia, where the stock... 19th August 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi consumer spending may be stabilising The latest data suggest that Saudi consumer spending remains weak by past standards, but it does at least look like the recent slowdown may now have bottomed out. 14th August 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt's banks unlikely to support the economic recovery There are growing hopes that the recent return to political stability in Egypt will trigger a revival in bank lending to the private sector. But we think this optimism may be overdone. A heavy burden... 12th August 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM exports strengthen on Asia rebound Emerging market exports rose at their fastest pace in over a year in June and more timely data suggest that export growth may have strengthened further last month. This improvement has been driven by... 11th August 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Weaker Saudi credit growth could be here to stay The past few months have brought further evidence that credit growth is coming off the boil in parts of the Gulf. As we explain in this Watch, there are reasons to think that this could prove to be... 7th August 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Emerging Market Consumer Snapshot (Q3 2014) Having slowed over the past couple of years, there are signs that consumer spending in some parts of the emerging world is starting to recover. However, the pick-up has so far been confined to EMs in... 7th August 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Fall in Egypt’s PMI doesn’t signal end of recovery The fall in Egypt’s PMI in July was disappointing in light of the recent improvement in the hard activity data. However, the bigger picture is that the economy is stronger than it was a year ago... 5th August 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economic Outlook North Africa getting back on its feet Three years on from the “Arab Spring” uprisings, the tide is turning in favour of the economies of North Africa. Admittedly, there are still many challenges, not least reining in large twin current... 31st July 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Signs of recovery in North Africa Following a difficult few years, the latest data have provided further evidence that things are improving in North Africa. It looks like growth in both Tunisia and Egypt accelerated over the first... 29th July 2014 · 1 min read
EM Valuations Monitor Are EM credit spreads about to surge? The yields of dollar-denominated emerging market government bonds have been broadly flat over the past month after having declined by over one percentage point between the end of January and the end... 29th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM demographic challenge not the disaster that many expect The contribution that favourable demographics have made to emerging market growth over the past couple of decades is often overplayed. In reality, the growth of working age populations has played only... 29th July 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Dubai leads equity market rebound Equity markets across the MENA region have rebounded following a poor performance in June. The Dubai stock market has recouped a large chunk of its previous losses. And equities in Saudi Arabia have... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Fall in agricultural prices to help keep EM inflation muted Inflation across the EM world remains relatively low in aggregate terms, even if it is still worryingly high in a handful of countries. Looking ahead, with global food prices falling, and underlying... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Further signs that Egypt’s economy is strengthening Having struggled over the past few years, the Egyptian economy has rebounded at the start of 2014 and a number of indicators suggest that growth in Q2 may have been the fastest since early 2012... 23rd July 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update First thoughts on the opening up of Saudi Arabia's stock market The Saudi authorities’ plan to open up the stock market to foreign investors is clearly a step in the right direction. But with equity valuations already stretched, we doubt that it will be the... 22nd July 2014 · 1 min read