Africa Economics Update South Africa: softer Q2 but reasons to be upbeat The latest batch of activity data from South Africa point to GDP growth softening to around 0.3% q/q in the second quarter. That said, we remain confident in our above-consensus forecast for the... 19th August 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa’s inflation outlook still benign South Africa’s inflation figures for July, due next Wednesday, are likely to show a temporary drop (probably to 4.3%) and the headline rate is likely to rise back to around 5% by early 2027. But we... 13th August 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update What to expect in Zambia’s election President Hakainde Hichilema enters tomorrow’s general elections in Zambia as the frontrunner, buoyed by progress on long-running sovereign debt restructuring and a strong copper windfall. The next... 12th August 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update Can Africa move up the commodity value chain? Governments in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly turning to interventionist measures to boost refining of commodities. But many of the conditions to make this a success, including transport... 11th August 2026 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Update Africa: lower US tariffs, but China will be the key partner Sub-Saharan Africa has come out of the latest round of US tariffs in a better position relative both to last year and to many other EMs. That will provide opportunities for some countries. But even so... 30th July 2026 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Update SARB signals high bar for additional rate hikes The South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) surprise decision to keep its policy rate on hold (rather than hike) today suggests that the MPC isn’t as hawkish as we had thought, and our base case now is... 23rd July 2026 · 3 mins read
Global Economics Update What is the future of US tariffs? The “Section 122” global tariff imposed by the Trump administration after the Supreme Court struck down its IEEPA tariffs (including those from “Liberation Day”) in February will expire on Friday, to... 23rd July 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Update Tinubu enters 2027 polls with a solid economic record Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, will head into the elections in six months’ time at the helm of an economy with a stronger external position, a more credible central bank and some modest fiscal... 22nd July 2026 · 4 mins read
Global Economics Update Key lessons from the Iran war so far The Iran war has (already) lasted longer than we initially assumed in our base case but the disruption to energy markets and hit to the global economy have been more limited. This resilience will be... 21st July 2026 · 8 mins read
Global Economics Update What are the potential implications of Houthi attacks? Given reports of Houthi threats to close the Bab el-Mandeb passage to the Red Sea and to attack Saudi oil infrastructure, we are publishing an updated version of this note originally sent on 31st... 16th July 2026 · 4 mins read
Global Economics Update The implications of a renewed closure of the Strait The global economy has so far weathered the energy shock created by the war in Iran, but a sharp drawdown in oil inventories has left stocks close to critically low levels. The oil market therefore... 16th July 2026 · 5 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Which EMs will be next to hike rates? The renewed rise in oil prices has cast fresh uncertainty over the outlook for interest rates. But one thing that emerges from the latest CPI data is that there are a handful of countries where strong... 15th July 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update Strong El Niño unlikely to unnerve the SARB A strong El Niño has brought food price risks in South Africa into focus, but we think it unlikely that this could extend the Reserve Bank’s tightening cycle beyond the one 25bp hike this year in our... 14th July 2026 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Update Ghana: Fiscal, monetary policy to act as a shock absorber Higher crude oil revenues are likely to allow Ghana’s government to loosen fiscal policy which, taken together with the lagged impact of the large monetary easing cycle, should support the economy. We... 2nd June 2026 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Update Ethiopia: what to expect from Abiy’s next term Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party will almost certainly win the election taking place today but the next administration faces a host of challenges. The government still... 1st June 2026 · 7 mins read
Africa Economics Update SARB hikes, but tightening cycle to be short The South African Reserve Bank hiked its policy rate by 25bp to 7.00% today as expected and, while it acknowledged that inflation risks are firmly to the upside, the Reserve Bank still looks likely to... 28th May 2026 · 3 mins read
