Middle East & North Africa Economic Outlook Cheap oil hits home The Gulf economies have weathered the storm created by the fall in oil prices well so far, but 2016 is likely to be the year in which low energy prices begin to weigh on growth. We don’t expect... 21st December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor EM growth steady as Fed starts to tighten Emerging market (EM) growth remained fairly stable in October, as it has for much of the year. Looking ahead, we expect EM growth to pick up a touch in 2016, even as the Fed tightens monetary policy. 17th December 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Fresh slump in oil prices weighs on Gulf equity markets Equity markets in the Gulf have fallen further over the past month, dragged down by the renewed slump in oil prices. Elsewhere, Egypt’s central bank has maintained a tight grip on the pound but... 17th December 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi growth eases, further slowdown likely in 2016 Our GDP Tracker suggests that the Saudi Arabian economy weakened a little in October and, with fiscal policy set to tighten, we expect much slower growth in 2016. 15th December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Fed tightening & EMs: what to watch for The likelihood that the Fed will begin to raise interest rates this week has sparked fresh concerns about the knock-on impact on emerging markets. However, we think that most EMs are now well placed... 14th December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack EM currencies stable as Fed lift-off approaches Relative calm in most EM currencies over the past month (the Colombian peso and Russian ruble being the obvious exceptions) supports our view that emerging markets are generally well placed to... 10th December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor Contraction in EM exports to ease in 2016 EM export revenues are on track to fall by a trillion dollars (equivalent to about 3.5% of EM GDP) this year compared to 2014. Although exports are set to remain weak in 2016, we expect the pace of... 10th December 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Nov.) The further rise in Egyptian inflation to 11.1% y/y in November, alongside fresh fears over the fragile external position, is likely to add to policymaker’s concerns. For now, we expect the central... 10th December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Focus Ten key calls for EMs in 2016 The EM world looks to have grown by its weakest pace since the global financial crisis in 2015, but things should start to improve next year. In this Focus we outline the ten key issues that we think... 9th December 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Nov.) The slight fall in Saudi inflation in November, to 2.3% y/y, reinforces our view that the backdrop of weak global commodity prices and slowing growth should keep price pressures subdued over the... 9th December 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Little incentive for Saudi Arabia to abandon oil strategy Last week’s OPEC meeting ended with little change to the cartel’s policy, but rumours suggest that Saudi Arabia is softening its stance on production cuts. While we’re probably at the point where the... 7th December 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Oil prices to recover next year, whatever OPEC targets We, and we suspect many others, are still trying to work out exactly what OPEC decided at Friday’s meeting. Usually reliable sources have reported that OPEC has agreed to raise its output target from... 4th December 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Financial Risk Monitor Most EMs well-placed to weather Fed tightening Our Capital Economics Risk Indicator (CERI) suggests that financial risks in the emerging world in aggregate are low and there is little to suggest that the onset of Fed tightening will trigger an EM... 4th December 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt getting to grips with its foreign currency problems Egypt’s fragile external position has come under the spotlight once again, but the latest signs are that policymakers are trying to ease foreign currency restrictions. The upshot is that a devaluation... 3rd December 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update What to expect from Saudi Arabia’s upcoming budget Saudi Arabia’s upcoming budget statement will be scrutinised even more than usual and we suspect (and hope) that it will provide more realistic forecasts as well as a clear agenda for fiscal... 2nd December 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Watch Hopes of Saudi led shift in OPEC policy to be disappointed The next meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), on 4 th December, is set to be much more interesting than the one in June. Indonesia will re-join the group for the... 26th November 2015 · 1 min read
