Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia's Central Bank resists government pressure to ease policy The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) kept its benchmark interest rates on hold today and signalled that, despite growing pressure from the government to ease policy, any move in rates in either direction... 12th February 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Markets rally as euro-zone fears recede This is the first edition of our new monthly Emerging Europe Markets Monitor. The purpose of this publication is to analyse the developments in local markets over the past month and give an update on... 7th February 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: pick-up in inflation rules out near-term rate cuts Russian inflation picked up to its fastest rate since late 2011 in January, giving the Central Bank a strong argument to withstand pressure from the government to start easing policy in the face of... 5th February 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Euro-zone risks ease but banks remain fragile The continued improvement in sentiment towards the euro-zone has simultaneously eased external funding conditions for Emerging Europe’s banks and reduced the threat of financial contagion from the... 4th February 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update PMIs show first signs of green shoots The latest batch of manufacturing PMI data from Emerging Europe provide the first signs that the region’s economy is turning around. However, for now at least, the recovery appears to be concentrated... 1st February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update How concerning for property is the Russian economic slowdown? The Russian economy cooled at the end of 2012, as we had expected, and growth is likely to remain lacklustre this year. However, although there are signs that the slowdown may be affecting the office... 1st February 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: solid 2012 growth masks second half slowdown Preliminary data showing that Russia grew by a solid 3.4% in 2012 masks the fact that the economy slowed fairly sharply over the course of the year and is now growing by around 2% y/y. The recent... 31st January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack Sentiment picks up but growth still weak The outlook for Emerging Europe has brightened considerably at the start of the year. Equities have rallied while the latest survey data from key euro-zone export markets have picked up markedly... 30th January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: a disappointing end to 2012 While most emerging markets staged a recovery in the final months of 2012, Russia appears to have bucked the trend. The latest raft of activity data suggests that growth weakened to just 2% y/y in Q4... 25th January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update What do our new oil forecasts mean for Russia? Modest upward revisions to our (below consensus) forecast for oil prices this year do not radically alter our view on the economic outlook for Russia. The budget deficit is likely to be slightly... 22nd January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Ruble flexibility is for real Some commentators are starting to question the extent to which Russia has moved towards greater currency flexibility in recent years. We see little to justify these doubts. Improving global sentiment... 16th January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian Central Bank signals rate cuts The Central Bank of Russia left its benchmark interest rates on hold this morning as was widely expected. More importantly, the tone of the accompanying statement reveals that the Bank has become... 15th January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update New NBH Governor could catch markets off guard The appointment of Hungary’s new central bank Governor, due to be announced next month, has the potential to shatter the recent calm in the local financial markets. In this Watch, we assess the... 10th January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Debate over size of Russian outflows misses the point A spat towards the end of last year over the true scale of capital flight from Russia risks missing the bigger picture, which is that capital continues to flow out of the country in the first place... 8th January 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack A tough end to the year Growth across Emerging Europe has continued to slow in recent months and is likely to remain extremely weak in 2013. Official data suggest that the region grew by less than 2% y/y in the third quarter... 17th December 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: interest rate "hike" does not alter monetary stance The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) left its benchmark lending rates on hold today, but hiked its overnight deposit rate by 25bps. Given the liquidity shortage in the interbank market and the fact that... 10th December 2012 · 1 min read