Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Lessons for Algeria from the Arab Spring The protests in Algeria have inevitably spurred comparisons with the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 and the experience from that period is that economic growth will slow and balance of payments strains... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Oil rebound won’t prevent drop in energy investment The negative outlook for oil prices, together with Canadian oil firms’ high debt levels, regulatory uncertainty and capacity constraints, suggest that energy investment will fall this year. 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Jan.) & Final PMIs (Feb.) The upward revision to February’s final PMIs does not change our view that GDP growth in the euro-zone was probably just 0.2% again in the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, the increase in retail... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Markit/CIPS Services PMI (Feb.) The headline index of the Markit/CIPS services survey in February suggests that at least some of the concern about Brexit’s impact on the economy has been overdone. However, worries about future... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Swiss CPI (Feb.19) & Sweden Priv. Sec. Prod. (Jan.19) The continued lack of price pressures in Switzerland will reaffirm the SNB’s dovish stance. Meanwhile, private sector activity data from Sweden for January suggest that the economy made a weak start... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Data Response South Africa GDP (Q4) Growth in South Africa’s economy slowed to 1.4% q/q (saar) in Q4 of last year, but looser financial conditions and a likely fall in inflation mean the economy should strengthen over the course of this... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Feb.) February’s PMI data suggest that looser fiscal loosening has offset the impact of weaker external demand and supported a further pick-up in Saudi Arabia’s economy. In contrast, growth in the UAE and... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rates on hold in Malaysia, but cuts are likely this year Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today left interest rates unchanged, but with price pressures very weak and growth set to slow, we think that rate cuts will soon come onto the agenda. 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Initial thoughts on the National People’s Congress The key takeaway from today’s policy announcements at the opening of the National People’s Congress is that the leadership are still trying to balance efforts to support growth with concerns about... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update RBA’s optimism won’t last long The RBA remained fairly confident when it left rates on hold today at 1.50% but we expect that as the data deteriorate this year the Bank will take a more dovish view. And before the end of the year... 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update No recession, but growth to remain weak Canada is not at immediate risk of recession, but the chance of GDP growth rising back above potential in the second half of the year looks slim. We now expect growth to average just 1.0% in 2019. 4th March 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB growth forecasts to remain too optimistic Philip Lane, who is due to take over as the ECB’s Chief Economist in May, acknowledged last week that Q1 2019 will probably be the third successive quarter of below-potential GDP growth. We agree with... 4th March 2019 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Feb.) There were few positives in the February PMIs, with the headline readings pointing to another broad-based deterioration in regional manufacturing conditions. The chances of an improvement in the near... 4th March 2019 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Modi government likely to continue with FDI reform Recent moves to tighten restrictions on foreign e-commerce firms are more a reflection of the government wanting to boost popular support ahead of the general election than a fundamental shift in... 4th March 2019 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Industrial downturn deepens February’s manufacturing PMIs suggest that the industrial downturn in advanced economies has worsened. Even the US is showing signs of succumbing to the widespread deterioration in industrial output. 1st March 2019 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Upturn in EM manufacturing won’t be sustained The EM manufacturing PMI picked up last month, but we think that growth in the manufacturing sector will still slow in the coming months. 1st March 2019 · 1 min read
