Global Markets Focus Which EM equity markets are set to shine? Time will tell if the recent rebound in emerging market (EM) equities was a turning point, but we remain cautiously optimistic that they will outperform those in the developed world in 2016/17. 24th February 2016 · 1 min read
Frontier Markets Wrap Ukraine’s political crisis re-escalates Political tensions have once again come to the fore in Ukraine, putting the country’s IMF programme at risk. Although the government survived a no confidence vote, the ruling coalition has fallen... 24th February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Growing divergences among EMs Aggregate EM growth has continued to disappoint in recent months with signs of a renewed (albeit small) deceleration in the latest data. Perhaps more important though is the widening divergence in... 24th February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update What next for EMs? Over the past week we have published a four-part series analysing the key issues that will shape the outlook for emerging markets. In this Update , we summarise the main messages. 23rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Uptick in oil prices supports Gulf financial markets The gradual rise in oil prices from the lows reached in January has underpinned a rebound in equity markets in the Gulf this month and dampened speculation that these countries will be forced to... 22nd February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor Worst should be over for EM exports The value of EM exports dropped by more than a trillion dollars last year but the pace of contraction eased in Q4. We expect further improvements in 2016 as global demand strengthens. 19th February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Focus Are EM oil producers on the cusp of a crisis? A wave of debt defaults and financial stress in emerging market oil producers seems unlikely but, with energy prices set to stay low, growth is likely to be much weaker than most anticipate. Among the... 18th February 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Oil slump unlikely to cause major problems in Gulf banking sectors The slump in oil prices has raised fears that banks in the Gulf could come under strain, as governments withdraw deposits, foreign exchange reserves are depleted and assets begin to sour. But, while... 17th February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Emerging Markets Capital Flows Monitor Aggregate EM capital outflows stood at over $100bn in January and, on a quarterly rolling basis, they increased to a third of a trillion dollars, a record figure by some distance. This continued to be... 16th February 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egyptian inflation to stay in double digits for most of this year Egyptian inflation came in at 10.1% y/y in January and, with a looming devaluation of the pound and the government preparing the ground for a fresh round of subsidy cuts, it is likely to remain in (or... 11th February 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Morocco to slow in 2016, but medium-term outlook bright A drought is likely to weigh heavily on Morocco’s agricultural sector this year and headline GDP growthlooks set to slow to around 2.5%, down from more than 4% in 2015. Nonetheless, with twin budget... 9th February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Can EMs exploit weaker currencies? EMs are much better placed now than in the past to weather potential problems caused by sharp drops in their currencies. But by the same token, those EMs that have seen the largest falls in their... 8th February 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Weaker growth looms in the Gulf A period of fiscal austerity means that we expect the Gulf economies to slow this year, a view that not too long ago was non-consensus but is now relatively mainstream . Both the consensus and the IMF... 4th February 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Where in the Gulf is the threat of devaluation greatest? We have argued for some time that the Gulf economies are in a strong position to weather a period of low oil prices and, despite speculation in markets, that dollar pegs won’t be abandoned. Bahrain... 3rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Jan.) The further drop in ‘whole economy’ PMIs in the Gulf in January adds to evidence that tightening fiscal policy is beginning to weigh on growth. Elsewhere, the surveys suggest that Egypt’s economy... 3rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM PMI edges up January’s PMIs suggest that stabilisation in manufacturing across EMs continued at the start of the year. It’s particularly encouraging that conditions are no longer getting worse in Brazil and Russia... 1st February 2016 · 1 min read