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We held a Drop-In earlier today to discuss recent developments in Sri Lanka, where the economic and political crisis is going from bad to worse. This Update answers several of the questions that we received. How bad is the economic situation? In a …
14th July 2022
The effects of the pandemic followed by the war in Ukraine have pushed a growing number of EMs into debt distress. And while some (Tunisia, Ghana) look likely to follow Sri Lanka’s path into default, at this stage, default risks in the largest EMs look …
Capital outflows from EMs picked up over the past month and are likely to persist over the rest of the year. That’s a particular threat to those EMs whose current account deficits have widened or are widening sharply, including Turkey, Chile and parts of …
12th July 2022
Tightening cycles in Latin America and Emerging Europe are already at an advanced stage. Some 70-80% of the likely rate hikes in their cycles have already been delivered and policymakers will bring these to an end before the end of the year. But inflation …
6th July 2022
The S&P Global EM manufacturing PMI hit its highest level in over a year last month, but that was almost entirely driven by a recovery in China. The surveys softened across most of the rest of the emerging world, with external demand a key area of …
1st July 2022
Aggregate EM food inflation has risen to its highest rate since 2008 and, while it should fall back in 2023, it’s likely to stay extremely high for at least the next four-to-six months. That will keep consumer spending under pressure and provide another …
28th June 2022
We doubt that aggressive policy tightening by developed market (DM) central banks will be followed by a series of financial crises in major emerging market (EM) economies in the way that it has at times in the past. Even so, we still suspect that global …
27th June 2022
A handful of EM central banks have ramped up FX sales to provide support to weakening currencies over the past couple of months. And with inflation high and the US dollar likely to strengthen further, others could follow suit. FX intervention is unlikely …
24th June 2022
Shortages of food supplies and surging prices have led some EMs to impose export restrictions on key agricultural products, a trend that threatens to become more prevalent and serve to keep prices elevated and inflation high. Some EMs are also attempting …
16th June 2022
Capital outflows from EMs appear to have eased over the past month, but rapidly tightening external financing conditions mean that this won’t last for long. Large outflows already seem to have pushed Turkey to the brink of a(nother) currency crisis, and …
14th June 2022
After months of aggressive interest rate hikes, the end of tightening cycles in parts of Emerging Europe and Latin America is creeping closer. But inflation concerns mean that policy rates are likely to remain high for a long time yet. Meanwhile, …
10th June 2022
The S&P Global EM Manufacturing PMI for May suggests that the easing of virus-related disruptions in China supported a small rebound in EM manufacturing last month, but the sector remains very weak. And the effects of the war in Ukraine are taking an …
1st June 2022
Net capital outflows from EMs appear to have picked up over the past few weeks amid the general risk-off mood in global financial markets. This is a worrying development for countries with fragile external positions, notably Turkey and some smaller …
18th May 2022
Higher food and energy prices go some way to explaining the rise in headline inflation rates across the emerging world, but this is only part of the story. Core inflation has also jumped in many EMs, especially in Emerging Europe and Latin America. This …
16th May 2022
While a stronger dollar is generally regarded as a headwind for EMs, we think it will only be a minor one for most major EMs, particularly compared with the headwinds from weakness in China, spillovers from the war in Ukraine, and domestic monetary …
6th May 2022
Having surged over the past two years, there are signs that EM exports may now have passed their peak. That will weigh on economic growth, particularly in parts of Asia. Manufacturers in the emerging world have been among the main beneficiaries from the …
4th May 2022
China and private bondholders have become increasingly important creditors to governments of many frontier markets, including some of those that are now finding themselves in debt distress. This is likely to make any debt restructuring talks more complex …
20th April 2022
The war in Ukraine and the start of the US Fed’s hiking cycle have exposed macro imbalances in some frontier economies, but do not appear to have had a significant impact on capital flows into many of the major EMs. In any case, most EMs should be able to …
14th April 2022
Most EMs are not heavily dependent on Russia or Ukraine for their domestic food supplies, but there are key pockets of vulnerability due to large wheat, corn and vegetable seed/oil exports to Turkey, most of the Middle East and North Africa and parts of …
13th April 2022
While yield curves have inverted in a number of emerging markets (and look likely to do so in several others in the coming months), they don’t have a good track record in predicting recessions in the emerging world. In most EMs, we think that growth will …
6th April 2022
Higher oil prices will boost government revenues in the major EM energy producers, but many other EMs will face a fiscal cost via fuel subsidy programmes. While these costs are likely to be small in most cases, there are a few countries of concern, …
4th April 2022
The broad-based fall in March’s manufacturing PMIs shows that the war in Ukraine is starting to take its toll on EM industry, particularly in Emerging Europe, while China’s lockdown is hitting industry there. The surveys provided signs that external …
1st April 2022
The tightening of global financial conditions since the onset of the Fed’s hiking cycle and the war in Ukraine has caused sovereign dollar bond spreads to widen significantly in several frontier markets, with default risks in Sri Lanka and Tunisia …
30th March 2022
Our proprietary Financial Conditions Indices suggest that global financial conditions have recently been as tight as they were during the China hard landing fears of 2015 and point to GDP growth staying below trend. Our new CE Interactive dashboard …
23rd March 2022
Major oil producers are among the main beneficiaries of the rise in commodity prices due to the war in Ukraine. As a result, we’re becoming less concerned about Colombia’s external vulnerabilities. In most other EMs however, external positions are likely …
17th March 2022
The war in Ukraine has triggered renewed outflows from EM financial markets as risk aversion has taken hold, but there are few signs of severe financial contagion. And even if outflows were to intensify over the coming months, the macroeconomic fallout in …
8th March 2022
The rise in commodity prices caused by the war in Ukraine will push up EM inflation and there are further upside risks from weakening currencies and potential supply chain disruptions. In terms of the policy response, central banks that are focused on …
3rd March 2022
One immediate effect of the war in Ukraine will be to push Russia several places down the league table of the world’s largest economies. However, the impact on the global economy over the long run will depend to a large extent on its political and …
2nd March 2022
February's manufacturing PMIs point to decent industrial growth last month and support our view that the impact from Omicron waves on EM industry will be limited. However, the surveys suggest that supply chains remain stretched. And looking ahead, the war …
1st March 2022
The war in Ukraine and the ratcheting up of sanctions on Russia will have knock-on effects on the rest of the emerging world mainly through its impact on supply chains and commodity prices. Some EMs (e.g. Gulf oil producers) stand to benefit from higher …
With FX debt burdens relatively low in most major EMs, the risk of debt crises triggered by rising US interest rates and a stronger dollar looks limited. Vulnerabilities are generally limited to frontier markets and the usual suspects like Turkey and …
18th February 2022
After a series of aggressive interest rate hikes, tightening cycles in parts of Emerging Europe and Latin America may now be nearing an end. But inflation concerns mean that policy rates will remain above their neutral level there for some time. In …
17th February 2022
Net capital outflows from emerging markets have intensified over the past month as growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia and the prospect of tighter global monetary policy have caused risk appetite to sour. The external environment will remain …
15th February 2022
If oil prices were to remain at their elevated levels, they could push current account and budget balances into surplus in many of the EM producers. It would also ease any concerns about dollar pegs in the Gulf, although we think the currencies of Angola …
8th February 2022
Financial conditions have continued to tighten in Latin America and Emerging Europe and will likely remain restrictive throughout the year, weighing on activity in both regions. Meanwhile, although they have tightened too, conditions in Asia generally …
4th February 2022
January’s PMIs suggest that, while industry in China, Brazil and Mexico is struggling, manufacturers elsewhere in the emerging world have started 2022 on a solid footing, despite the surge in virus cases. The surveys provided some signs that supply …
1st February 2022
With the notable exception of Turkey, net capital outflows from emerging markets have eased over the past month. However, the global backdrop for EMs this year will be challenging, particularly for those countries where external vulnerabilities are high …
19th January 2022
The shift to current account surpluses in Indonesia and South Africa suggest that these economies may be better placed to weather any fallout from rising US interest rates than in the past. But current account deficits have become an increasing cause for …
18th January 2022
In this Update , we take a look at the key political events that are scheduled across the emerging world over the coming year and outline their possible implications for economic policy and growth . Table 1 gives a summary of the major events taking …
13th January 2022
December’s PMIs suggest that EM manufacturers ended last year on a firm note, with headline indices rising in much of Emerging Europe and Emerging Asia. Encouragingly, input and output price components dropped back in many EMs, suggesting that inflation …
4th January 2022
Foreign investors have been net sellers of EM assets for much of this year and tighter monetary policy in the US and a stronger dollar suggest that the environment for EMs next year will remain challenging. The good news is that most major EMs should be …
20th December 2021
Yesterday’s Fed meeting confirmed a hawkish shift. Turkey aside, we doubt that this is likely to cause major strains in the balance of payments of most EMs. But the Fed’s hawkish turn may cause domestic monetary policy to be tightened slightly more …
16th December 2021
November’s PMIs offered tentative signs that the worst of the supply disruption may have passed, but the bigger picture is that manufacturers in the emerging world remain stretched. And while it’s still too early to tell, the Omicron variant could …
1st December 2021
There’s a lot that we don’t know about the new Omicron variant. But if it proves more virulent, the economic fallout would probably be largest in EMs in parts of Africa and South and South East Asia that have lower vaccination rates, more limited fiscal …
29th November 2021
The sharp tightening of financial conditions in Latin America and Emerging Europe will add to headwinds facing both regions and feeds into our view that recoveries there are entering a slower phase. Financial conditions in Asia have tightened too, albeit …
24th November 2021
The latest crisis engulfing Turkey is likely to make it harder for the country to roll over its external debts, with the banking sector particularly vulnerable. If Turkey’s crisis worsens, it may cause wobbles in a few EM currencies, but there are reasons …
18th November 2021
Net capital outflows from EMs have persisted in recent weeks and, looking ahead, a further rise in US Treasury yields could lead to larger outflows over the coming months. The good news is that – Turkey aside – vulnerabilities to outflows in most major …
16th November 2021
A significant share of the difference in headline inflation between Emerging Asia and other emerging regions has been driven by food inflation, which appears to be related to domestic conditions more than anything else. In Emerging Europe and Latin …
12th November 2021
The COVID-19 situation in many EMs has improved markedly over the past month or so as new infections have fallen sharply and vaccine rollouts have gathered pace. That said, the recent surge in virus cases in Emerging Europe serves as reminder that the …
5th November 2021
Among the major EMs, long-term fiscal problems look most challenging in South Africa and several large Latin American economies. And rising interest rates will make the fiscal squeeze needed to stabilise public debt-to-GDP ratios – and the hit to economic …
3rd November 2021