Europe Data Response Swedish & Danish GDP (Q1) The slowdown in Swedish GDP growth in Q1 came as little surprise after its sharp rise in Q4. But although the economy is still expanding, the breakdown was less than encouraging. Together with the... 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Industrial Production, Household Spending, Unemployment & Consumer Prices (Apr.) With economic activity sluggish and price pressures subdued despite a tighter labour market, we remain convinced that the Bank of Japan will have to step up the pace of easing before too long. 29th May 2015 · 1 min read
BoE Watch Deflation and overseas risks to keep rate rise at bay Since June’s meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) comes just three weeks after the publication of the latest Inflation Report and recent data have not challenged its view that inflation will... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Which inflation measure should the Fed focus on? The Fed's preferred PCE measure of core inflation is being depressed by declines in the administered prices set by Congress for Medicare and Medicaid. In contrast, the CPI measure, which covers only... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Indonesia still looks vulnerable Today’s handover from military to civilian rule in Myanmar marks another welcome step forward in the country’s political development. But the new government must overcome a number of major challenges... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How vulnerable is the ECB to a Greek default? The ECB’s exposure to Greece is not huge and ultimately lies with the euro-zone governments that would have to recapitalise it. But a Greek default to the ECB would be a serious blow to the Bank’s... 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Will the fiscal squeeze boost inflation again? One upside risk to inflation is that the Conservatives try to plug some of the hole in the public finances by raising taxes on goods and services in the CPI basket. But given that they have ruled out... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus Is the worst really over for Russia? The slump in activity data for April put an end to hopes raised in some parts of the government (and markets) that the worst is over for the Russian economy. The steep falls in output are likely to be... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Saudi Arabia and Egypt follow divergent paths The latest activity data suggest that the MENA region’s two largest economies, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have headed in opposite directions at the start of 2015. After recording strong growth last year... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update EM inflation has troughed The big drag on EM inflation from the drop in commodity prices over the second half of last year will ease over the coming months. With inflation set to rise in most EMs over the second half of this... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus The UK economy after the election While the Conservatives’ victory removed some of the uncertainty hanging over the economy, it has some more worrying implications – such as the renewed fiscal squeeze and the EU referendum. But we... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Small Business Confidence (May) Despite a rebound in May, small business confidence still suggests that the economic recovery lacks vigour. 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response CPI (Apr.) & Retail Sales (Mar.) While headline inflation fell below the Bank of Canada's 1% to 3% target range in April , the ongoing impact of the weaker loonie meant that core inflation rate was still as high as 2.3%. The impact... 22nd May 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Q1 GDP data confirm EM downturn Most emerging economies have made a weak start to the year. The Q1 GDP data released so far point to a slowdown in aggregate EM economic growth and early activity data for April suggest that this has... 22nd May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Stronger German recovery depends on export revival Last week’s data gave mixed signals about Germany. On the one hand, the second GDP release showed that Q1’s slowdown belied a strong domestic economy and May’s Ifo survey pointed to a pick-up in... 22nd May 2015 · 1 min read
US Data Response Consumer Prices (Apr.) The 0.3% m/m increase in core consumer prices in April, which pushed the three-month annualised rate of core inflation up to a four-year high of 2.6%, leaves the Fed with less scope to delay raising... 22nd May 2015 · 1 min read
