Asia Economics Update RBI holds rates, but cuts could soon come onto the agenda The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left its policy rates on hold today but, given the weakness of recent activity data and the fact that inflation has fallen below the central bank’s near-term target, we... 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack Currency sell-off highlights divisions in rate outlook The sharp sell-off in the Russian ruble and Turkish lira this month couldn’t have come at a worse time for policymakers. Growth is sluggish in both countries, but high inflation and concerns about... 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Romania cuts rates, probably the last in the easing cycle The National Bank of Romania’s rate cut earlier today probably marks the end of the recent easing cycle. After all, forthcoming data are likely to show inflation rising to within the Bank’s tolerance... 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI (Sep.) & Unemployment (Aug.) September’s fall in euro-zone inflation to a whisker above zero and August’s weak labour market data will add to the pressure on the ECB to signal further policy support at its meeting this Thursday. 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Small Business Confidence (Sep.) The stagnation in small business confidence in September provides yet another indication that Japan's economic recovery remains sluggish. 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack South Africa comes back into the firing line The South African rand has come under pressure this month as renewed attention on monetary tightening in the US has put the country’s large current account deficit back into the spotlight. The latest... 29th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia: Interest rates unlikely to rise much further Interest rates in Colombia were left unchanged at 4.50% on Friday and we do not expect rates to rise in the near term. There may be one more 25bp increase to 4.75% next year if domestic demand remains... 29th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro's drop doesn't let ECB off the hook The continued depreciation of the euro exchange rate points to much-needed increases in export growth and imported inflation in the coming months. But this does not eliminate the risk of deflation and... 26th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Which countries stand to gain most from lower oil prices? Lower oil prices should provide a boost to the economies of Emerging Asia. However, some countries are likely to benefit more than others. Indonesia and Thailand stand to gain the most, while Malaysia... 26th September 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Inflation outlook has not changed While the recent softening in price pressures suggests that core inflation won’t hit the Fed’s 2% target until a bit later than we previously thought, we still think it will get there by mid-2015... 26th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Growth concerns come to the fore The past month has seen renewed concerns about the growth outlook for much of Latin America. GDP in the region grew by just 1.1% y/y in Q2 and the available data so far point to a similar pace of... 26th September 2014 · 1 min read
Global Central Bank Watch The era of global QE is not over Although the Fed is about to end its asset purchases, quantitative easing in the world as a whole still has a long way to go. The BoJ has already been buying assets on a larger scale than the Fed for... 26th September 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Consumer Prices (national: Aug.; Tokyo: Sep.) Inflation dropped slightly in August, and we believe that it will moderate further towards year-end. This should increase pressure on the BoJ to provide more stimulus. 26th September 2014 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Preparing the ground for QE The ECB now seems to be taking deflation risks more seriously, implementing surprise interest rate cuts in September and leaving the door wide open to quantitative easing. With the economy apparently... 25th September 2014 · 1 min read
UK Markets Outlook Diverging rate paths to favour gilts Since the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is probably only a few months away from starting to raise interest rates, gilt yields are likely to depart from their three decade long downward trend soon... 25th September 2014 · 1 min read
US Chart Pack Core inflation will bounce back Despite the weaker core inflation readings over the past couple of months, we still expect core inflation to climb gradually, rising above the Fed's 2% target in the first half of next year... 24th September 2014 · 1 min read
