Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: weaker pound having the desired effect Egypt’s balance of payments data for Q4 released today show only a modest narrowing in the current account deficit, but digging a little deeper there are signs that the 50% drop in the pound against... 8th March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German & Spanish Industrial Production, French Trade (Jan.) January’s rise in German industrial production reversed December’s fall and provided a solid start to Q1. But so far, hard data on Germany and elsewhere in the euro-zone suggest that growth will not... 8th March 2017 · 1 min read
China Data Response Trade (Feb.) The latest trade data suggest that, seasonal distortions aside, both exports and imports strengthened at the start of 2017. 8th March 2017 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response GDP (Q4 Revised) & Current Account (Jan.) Revised data show that GDP grew slightly more last quarter than initially reported. We expect the economy to expand by a steady 1% this year but to slow next year as rising prices undermine households... 8th March 2017 · 1 min read
US Data Response International Trade (Jan.) The sharp widening in the trade deficit in January to its highest level in almost five years appears to have been partly due to distortions caused by the earlier than normal Chinese New Year Holiday... 7th March 2017 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response International Merchandise Trade (Jan.) The rebound in merchandise export volumes in January, led by non-energy trade, is encouraging and broadly consistent with the recent pick-up in external business activity indicators. 7th March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Surveys point to a strong Q1 Survey data for February suggest that euro-zone GDP growth accelerated in Q1 following two healthy quarterly gains of 0.4% in the second half of last year. After February’s rise, the PMI pointed to an... 7th March 2017 · 1 min read
Global Economics Chart Pack Signs of strong global growth continue Business and consumer surveys suggest that the strong start to the year continued in February. The global composite PMI remained close to a three-year high and is consistent with world GDP growth of... 6th March 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Rising inflation starting to hit households Resilient consumer spending was the main reason why GDP growth held up so well in the wake of the Brexit vote. However, there have been signs that the exchange-rate induced rise in inflation is... 3rd March 2017 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly GDP growth firming, but downside risks abound The recent upturn in production activity and business confidence are encouraging signs for near-term growth prospects. There are still some big question marks, however. While first-quarter real GDP... 3rd March 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly How much of higher costs will firms absorb? Companies’ margins are starting to bear the brunt of the exchange-rate induced rise in costs. And given the deterioration in consumer confidence, slower employment growth and the strong competitive... 3rd March 2017 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response International Trade (Jan.) The sharp drop in the trade surplus in January suggests that net exports will provide a sizeable drag on growth in the current quarter. And while rising consumption goods imports suggest that the... 2nd March 2017 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Australia GDP (Q4) The decent rebound in real GDP in the fourth quarter doesn’t just dash any lingering fears that Australia was in a recession, but it also boosts hopes that the surge in commodity prices will trigger a... 1st March 2017 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Tweaking US trade deficits no concern to Canada The potential changes to US trade balance statistics being considered by the US administration has raised eyebrows in Canada. But no matter how Trump’s administration wants to tweak the data, the US... 24th February 2017 · 1 min read
Global Trade Monitor Some encouraging signs? The latest data suggest that global trade growth picked up at the end of last year and business surveys suggest that it remained strong in January. What’s more, President Trump may be beginning to row... 24th February 2017 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly What next for Japan’s free trade agreements? With the writing on the wall for the TPP, Japan’s government believes that its next best bet would be a bilateral deal with the US. In principle, this could generate sizeable benefits by opening Japan... 24th February 2017 · 1 min read
