US Economics Weekly Stronger growth not generating major imbalances After the Fed’s decision to raise interest rates by another 25bp, Fed Chair Jerome Powell claimed in the post-meeting press conference that “the economy is doing very well” – we couldn’t agree more... 15th June 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Focus Headwinds mount A trade spat with the US is one of a number of headwinds facing China’s economy over the coming year. They point to a slowdown not a slump. But the outlook further ahead is no better. Policymakers’... 15th June 2018 · 1 min read
India Data Response External trade (May) India’s goods trade deficit widened in May, but should drop back over the coming months, helped by a combination of easing oil prices and restrictions on gold imports. India isn’t particularly exposed... 15th June 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Manufacturing Sales (Apr.) The unexpected 1.9% m/m slump in manufacturing sales volumes in April is a blow to the Bank of Canada, since it suggests that economic growth has not picked up much after the disappointingly weak... 15th June 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM export growth already starting to slow The recent rise in global trade tensions comes at a time when EM export growth has already started to slow. Higher oil prices will provide a boost to export growth in value terms in the next few... 15th June 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Emerging Markets Capital Flows Monitor (Jun.) Despite the market turmoil of recent weeks, problems in Turkey and Argentina look to be isolated incidents, with our capital flows Tracker giving no indication of large or widespread capital outflows... 14th June 2018 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Assessing the impact of an “all-out” trade war Our best guess is that even if all the protectionist threats made to date were carried out, they would subtract a lot less than half a percent from global GDP. A free-for-all, in which all governments... 13th June 2018 · 1 min read
India Economics Update External vulnerabilities remain low There was a widening in India’s current account deficit in Q1 over a four-quarter sum, but the bigger picture is that the external shortfall remains at a sustainable level. In addition, FDI inflows... 13th June 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update NAFTA feud escalates The markets have dismissed the G7 trade spat between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as much ado about nothing, which is understandable given the former’s infamously bellicose... 12th June 2018 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack 2% inflation target remains elusive Headline inflation has been falling recently as the impact of the short-lived spike in food prices over the winter has reversed. Energy inflation has continued to slow as utility bills are rising less... 12th June 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan: Latest currency devaluation a stopgap The latest devaluation in the Pakistani rupee has once again put the spotlight on the country’s precarious external position. The government will hope to keep the situation under control until next... 11th June 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly All eyes on Trump The EU, Canada and Mexico all announced retaliatory tarrifs on certain imports from the US this week. Although we doubt that this is the start of a full-blown trade war, the risk of one is greater now... 8th June 2018 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly G7 summit to highlight divisions on trade America’s isolation on trade policy, which will be on full show at this weekend’s G7 summit in Canada, raises the (admittedly still small) risks of a worst-case scenario in which the US tears up NAFTA... 8th June 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Weakness in China’s oil imports only temporary China’s commodity import volumes rebounded in May owing to a pick-up in demand for metals. However, imports of energy commodities remained weak. We still think that commodity import growth is likely... 8th June 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Polish investment growth will remain robust After a strong Q1, Polish fixed investment growth will stay robust over the duration of 2018. However, this won’t be enough to prevent headline GDP growth from slowing. 8th June 2018 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Ghana: Balance sheet weaknesses ebbing After a difficult period, recent data show that Ghana’s balance sheet problems are now behind us. While problems in the banking sector have emerged, policymakers are taking the right steps to tackle... 8th June 2018 · 1 min read