Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian MPC more dovish, but rate cuts still some way off The statement by the Russian central bank following its decision to leave the one-week repo rate on hold today was dovish, but less so than what the markets seem to have expected. The Council’s... 29th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Could Asia’s central banks get unconventional? There have been a number of suggestions recently that some central banks in Emerging Asia, namely in Taiwan and Korea, might be about to adopt some of the unconventional policy measures that are being... 29th April 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Gulf countries continue adjustment to cheap oil Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plans to overhaul its economy have grabbed the headlines in recent days, but the past month has seen a number of other Gulf countries announce further measures to deal with... 29th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Taiwan GDP (Q1 Advanced) Today’s GDP figures confirm that Taiwan’s economy is struggling badly, with GDP contracting by 0.8% y/y in the first quarter of the year. Given that policymakers are running out of room to stimulate... 29th April 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt central bank holds rates, but further hikes likely soon The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) kept its overnight deposit rate at 10.75% today as it awaits further evidence of the impact on inflation from last month’s devaluation of the pound. With inflation set... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
Global Central Bank Watch What next for negative rates? Negative policy rates have come under attack in recent months, but most of the criticisms look overdone. We still think Japan will cut its policy rate further in June or July, while also stepping up... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil’s COPOM to tread carefully Brazil’s COPOM left its benchmark Selic interest rate unchanged at 14.25% yesterday and, while the case for monetary easing is growing, the accompanying statement reinforced our view that interest... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Bank of Japan will be forced to ease more before long The Bank of Japan’s decision to forgo additional easing today came as a major disappointment to markets and resulted in a sharp appreciation of the yen. Amid sluggish growth and moderating price... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economic Outlook Dollars go from helping to hindering The recent strength of both the Australian and New Zealand dollars means that interest rates will have to fall further than widely expected to solve the twin problems of too slow economic growth and... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update New Zealand - Rates will reach a floor of 1.75% in New Zealand We don’t believe that the slightly more positive tone of the policy statement released after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand left interest rates on hold at 2.25% today will prevent the Bank from... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed less worried by global risks; open to June rate hike As universally expected, the FOMC kept the fed funds target range unchanged at between 0.25% and 0.50% today, but left the door open to a second 25 basis point rate hike in June. With core inflation... 27th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack Drought hits agricultural output in Thailand and Vietnam Vietnam and Thailand are facing their worst drought in decades, with water levels in the Mekong River at their lowest since 1926. The drought is already having an impact on growth. A decline in... 27th April 2016 · 1 min read
RBA Watch Fall in inflation could prompt cut to 1.75% We suspect that news of the sharp fall in underlying inflation in the first quarter will be enough to prompt the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut interest rates from 2.00% to 1.75% at its policy... 27th April 2016 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Australia Consumer Prices (Q1) The sharp fall in underlying inflation to 1.5% in the first quarter is a game-changer for the Reserve Bank of Australia and supports our long-held view that interest rates will fall from 2.0% now to 1... 27th April 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary’s MPC a little more cautious, but further rate cuts likely The statement accompanying today’s MPC meeting in Hungary was a little more cautious than we had expected, but even so, with inflation likely to stay subdued and growth weakening, we think there’s... 26th April 2016 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka holds rates, but hikes likely soon The central bank in Sri Lanka (CBSL) today held its deposit and lending rates at 6.5% and 8.0%, respectively. But with credit growing rapidly and core inflation high, we expect rate hikes to come back... 26th April 2016 · 1 min read
