Emerging Europe Economics Update Surprise Russia rate hike a response to geopolitics not inflation Russia’s central bank justified its surprise decision to hike interest rates this morning on stubbornly high inflation, but it’s pretty clear that this is a pre-emptive move to limit capital outflows... 25th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update How big a threat are financial sanctions for Russia? The possibility that the EU might follow in the steps of the US and restrict access to capital markets for some Russian firms, coupled with Moscow’s decision this week to cancel another government... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Fall in agricultural prices to help keep EM inflation muted Inflation across the EM world remains relatively low in aggregate terms, even if it is still worryingly high in a handful of countries. Looking ahead, with global food prices falling, and underlying... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Markets too complacent on risks to Turkish outlook The recent rally in the Turkish markets appears to have been driven by expectations of continued loose monetary policy in the developed world coupled – dare we say it – with a reasonable amount of... 23rd July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Markets may be overplaying Russia’s resilience The muted reaction in Russian markets to the growing likelihood of additional economic and financialsanctions by the EU probably reflects two things. The first is the widespread assumption that Europe... 22nd July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary's easing cycle at an end, policy to stay extremely loose The National Bank of Hungary cut its benchmark interest rate by more than both we and the consensus expected earlier today, but followed this up with comments that its two-year long easing cycle is... 22nd July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Fresh sanctions add headwinds to Russia’s growth outlook June’s activity data have dented hopes of a sustained recovery in the Russian economy. A meaningful turnaround will require a significant rise in investment. But the latest round of sanctions on... 17th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey cuts rates, but easing cycle looks unsustainable The Turkish central bank continued to loosen monetary conditions today and pressure from the government means that further rate cuts look likely over the coming months. However, given the backdrop of... 17th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Ukraine’s rate hike highlights fragile external position The decision by the National Bank of Ukraine to raise its discount rate earlier today serves as a reminder that, in spite of some positive developments over the past couple of months, the country’s... 16th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Region's fragile banks come under scrutiny The vulnerabilities in Emerging Europe’s banking sectors have come back into the spotlight in recent weeks. However, our latest Banking Heat Map shows that while there are some parts of the region... 14th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update A more challenging second half of the year The latest batch of activity data suggests that growth in Central Europe may be losing steam. Coming alongside signs that the German economy is also losing momentum, this suggests that the pace of the... 9th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Polish price pressures weak, but don't point to outright deflation Recent concerns about the risk of deflation in Poland have prompted the National Bank to raise the possibility of a cut in interest rates later in the year. As it happens, most indicators of... 8th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Private sector debt still a major concern in parts of the region Domestic demand has been subdued across much of Emerging Europe over the past five years in part due to the fact that households and firms have been deleveraging following the credit boom of the past... 7th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What more can the Czech National Bank do? The Czech National Bank (CNB) struck a dovish note at last week’s MPC meeting and is clearly concerned about the threat of deflation. For now, we suspect that the Bank is unlikely to take further... 4th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Polish monetary policy to remain extremely supportive The National Bank of Poland’s MPC struck a dovish note at this afternoon’s post-meeting pressconference, with Governor Belka flagging the possibility of an interest rate cut in the coming months... 2nd July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update June PMIs suggest Central Europe’s recovery is losing steam Last month’s manufacturing PMI data for Emerging Europe were disappointing. The recovery in Central Europe appears to have lost momentum in Q2, while the data provide further evidence that the Turkish... 1st July 2014 · 1 min read
