Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Gulf non-oil sectors struggle as austerity bites The past month has brought further evidence that non-oil sectors in the Gulf are suffering as low oil prices have started to hit home. The picture is most stark in Saudi Arabia, where official data... 18th August 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Turnaround in industry supporting EM recovery After a prolonged downturn, there are early signs that EM industry is finally starting to turn a corner. Our measure of EM industrial production growth picked up to 2.4% y/y in June, from 2.2% in May... 18th August 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy probably contracted in Q2 Our GDP Tracker suggests that Saudi Arabia’s economy is suffering heavily under the weight of fiscal austerity, with output contracting by around 2% y/y as of May. IMF and consensus expectations for... 17th August 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor A pause, not a reversal, in recovery of EM exports The slightly faster decline in EM exports recorded in June compared to May was due to price and currency effects that should prove short-lived. The recovery will continue over the coming months. 11th August 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Jul.) July’s high inflation reading in Egypt, of 14.0% y/y (the same as in June) confirmed that March’s devaluation of the pound is continuing to pass through into higher consumer prices. Against this... 10th August 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Capital Flows Monitor (Jul.) Our Tracker shows that capital outflows from the emerging world eased in July, suggesting that the pick-up in outflows seen in June was just a blip. The big picture is that they have fallen... 8th August 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Jul. 2016) The sharp improvement in last month’s ‘whole economy’ PMIs in the Gulf suggest that the slowdown seen in the first half of the year may now have bottomed out. 3rd August 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt and the IMF: five questions (and answers) Egypt’s financial markets have responded extremely positively to the news that the government is close to securing an IMF deal, although at this stage few details about the negotiations are actually... 2nd August 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Turkey coup aside, EMs have become more stable The failed military coup in Turkey has sent local financial markets into a tailspin and re-focused investors’ attention on broader EM political risk. However, political stability in emerging markets... 29th July 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Inflation in EM commodity producers remains stubbornly high Inflation in a number of EM commodity producers has remained stubbornly high over the past few months. Accordingly, consensus expectations for monetary policy in these countries have moved towards our... 28th July 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Gulf equities lag behind Most stock markets in the Gulf have edged up over the past month, but their performance looks poor compared with the rises seen elsewhere in the emerging world. Meanwhile, expectations of another... 26th July 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Egypt: fresh devaluation on the way Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that the Egyptian pound could be on the cusp of (another) devaluation. The initial rumours were sparked by the central bank governor, Tarek Amer, who suggested... 25th July 2016 · 1 min read
Frontier Markets Wrap Low oil prices hitting home Oil prices have been low for some time now, but the past month has brought further evidence that this new reality is starting to hit home in energy-exporting frontier markets. Recently-released data... 21st July 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Fresh devaluation of the Egyptian pound just a matter of time The Egyptian pound has been held steady since March’s devaluation, but persistent strains in the balance of payments mean that it needs to fall further. Recent shifts towards more orthodox... 19th July 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Strains in Saudi Arabia’s balance of payments starting to ease Saudi Arabia’s current account position deteriorated at the start of this year due to lower oil prices, but even taking this into account the underlying balance of payments position improved. We... 14th July 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Hard evidence points to weakness in Saudi economy The relative strength of the PMI readings from Saudi Arabia have prompted some to argue that the economy is holding up well. However, our GDP Tracker suggests that the economy is struggling and we... 12th July 2016 · 1 min read
