Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (Jul.) Russian inflation picked up in July for the first time since March, but this was driven entirely by last month’s hikes in household utility tariffs. In contrast, core price pressures eased. Inflation... 4th August 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian MPC cuts rates, but ruble concerns come to the fore The Russian central bank (CBR) cut its one-week repo rate by 50bp, to 11.0%, today, but the recent fall in the ruble triggered a clear shift in the Council’s tone, and policymakers are no longer... 31st July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Ruble slump concerns CBR, but easing cycle likely to continue The move by Russia’s central bank to halt its foreign currency purchases suggests that policymakers have become increasingly concerned by the recent slump in the ruble. But even so, the impact on both... 29th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s central bank not backtracking on ruble free float Recent concerns that Russia’s central bank is abandoning the ruble free float seem overdone. While policymakers will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the ruble and intervene on the FX market in order... 22nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia Retail Sales, Investment, IP (Jun.) & Poland IP (Jun.) Russia’s activity data for June made for grim reading. The hit to consumer-facing sectors has been particularly severe, but industry has struggled too. We estimate that GDP contracted by around 5% y/y... 17th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What’s behind the slump in Russian industry? The collapse in Russian industrial output in the second quarter appears to have been driven by the unwinding of one-off supports to a couple of sectors, as well further weakness in domestic demand... 14th July 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response World Gold Official Reserves (May) Global central banks continued to buy gold for diversification purposes in May. Buying was mostly concentrated among emerging markets’ central banks, with Russia once again particularly active. 13th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: fiscal squeeze to weigh on growth for years to come There are signs that the slump in the Russian economy is now close to bottoming out. However, we think that when the recovery does come, it is likely to be extremely weak at best. One reason for this... 9th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (Jun.) The drop in Saudi Arabia’s ‘whole economy’ PMI to a record low last month suggests that growth has slowed in the second quarter. Elsewhere, after a disappointing start to the year, Egypt’s economy is... 6th July 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What do July’s utility price hikes mean for Russian inflation? Utility tariffs for Russian households and businesses were raised at the start of this month, fuelling concerns in some quarters that this could trigger a renewed pick-up in inflation. But the key... 2nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Weakness in PGM prices should prove temporary Expectations of a strong increase in mine supply,coupled with abundant above-ground stocks,have prompted many analysts to revise down theirforecasts for platinum and palladium prices thisyear and... 29th June 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia Retail Sales, Investment & Ind. Prod. (May) May’s activity data brought further bad news for the Russian economy, with the slump in industry and fixed investment deepening. All in all, our GDP Tracker suggests that output may have contracted by... 18th June 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Why there is no free lunch for Russia’s government There appears to be a great deal of confusion about how Russia can use its oil funds to finance its budget deficit, with some arguing that by drawing them down in rubles the government can both... 16th June 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian MPC hints at smaller rate cuts ahead The Russian central bank cut its one-week repo rate by 100bp, to 11.5%, at today’s MPC meeting, but struck a more cautious note on the near-term outlook for inflation. As a result, while we expect... 15th June 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economic Outlook Prospects diverge Emerging Europe’s economy is likely to contract this year for the first time since 2009, but prospects differ substantially across the region. In Russia, while financial strains have eased, the... 5th June 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (May) The drop in Russian inflation to 15.8% y/y in May confirms that it has now passed its peak. We expect inflation to ease slowly over the next three to six months before falling sharply around the turn... 4th June 2015 · 1 min read
