Canada Economics Weekly Additional rate cut still seems like a good bet The Bank of Canada’s decision to leave its key policy rate unchanged at 0.5% last week was largely as expected in light of the recent news that the real economy returned to growth in June... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Will Fed lift-off hit or help the euro-zone? We don’t expect the prospect of higher US interest rates to hit the euro-zone too hard. But the ECB should not take any chances and certainly should not rely on higher US interest rates to lower the... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia’s MPC keeps rates on hold due to ruble weakness Today’s decision by the Russian central bank to keep interest rates on hold at 11.00% having cut rates at each of its previous meetings this year, clearly reflects policymakers’ concerns about the... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly UK should weather rising US interest rates well Even if the US Fed holds fire this week, US interest rates will be rising soon – and, in our view, quicker than markets expect. Turning points in UK monetary policy are often close to US ones. But... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economic Outlook Weaker currencies part of the solution, not the problem The economic outlook for Latin America remains pretty gloomy. Weaker growth in China and lower global commodity prices will depress export revenues and, as incomes fall, cause domestic demand to... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Why have exports been so weak? The slump in commodity prices accounts for most of the decline in Asian exports this year, even in countries which are not major commodity exporters. 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Peru rate hike not the start of an aggressive tightening cycle Although the timing of Peru’s decision to raise interest rates by 25bp (to 3.50%) was a surprise, we had been expecting the central bank to shift into tightening mode in the coming quarters... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia to hold rates amid balancing act The decision to keep interest rates on hold today at 3.25% reflects the difficult balancing act facing the Malaysian central bank (BNM) as it continues to grapple with the problems caused by slowing... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
China Data Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Aug) Today’s data for August confirm that policy easing has led to a rebound in credit growth. This turnaround will raise concerns among many that efforts to rein in debt have been shelved, but it is a... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Deflation Watch: “Good” deflation about to return We expect deflation to have returned in August; indeed, inflation is likely to remain below zero for most of the rest of this year. But it is not something to worry about as its main effect will be to... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Financial stability risks to keep Bank of Korea on hold The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its policy rate unchanged at a record low of 1.50% today as fears over the possible implications of Fed tightening offset worries about the recent weakness of the economy... 11th September 2015 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly The risks to our interest rate forecasts While the risks to our forecast that the central banks of Australia and New Zealand will eventually reduce interest rates to new record lows of 1.5% and 2.0% respectively (from 2.0% and 2.75% now) are... 10th September 2015 · 1 min read
EM Markets Chart Pack EM equities the biggest casualty of Fed uncertainty Equity markets in the emerging world have been the biggest casualty of the uncertainty about when the Fed will finally push the button on rate hikes. For our part, we still expect “lift-off” later... 10th September 2015 · 1 min read
UK Markets Chart Pack Sterling looks vulnerable to renewed falls Recent turmoil in financial markets has seen UK interest rate expectations go on something of a rollercoaster ride recently. It wasn’t all that long ago that a rate hike this year still looked a... 10th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Talk of EM capital controls is overdone Despite concerns in some quarters, EM policymakers are unlikely to introduce capital controls. Many EMs are dependent on capital inflows – which capital controls would discourage – and many are likely... 10th September 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How might the ECB expand QE? It looks increasingly likely that the ECB will expand its asset purchase programme, possibly even as soon as next month. We think that the Bank will step up the pace of purchases, perhaps to €80bn per... 10th September 2015 · 1 min read