Asia Chart Pack Interest rate cuts to be exception rather than rule Expectations that the fall in oil prices will trigger a wave of interest rate cuts across Asia are probably wide of the mark. Admittedly, Pakistan, India and Singapore have each loosened monetary... 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update More to cheer than fear from “currency wars” The latest monetary easing in Europe and Asia has revived talk of “currency wars” and fuelled concerns about the impact of dollar strength on the US economy. But much of this talk seems unduly... 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egyptian equities hit seven-year high, pound falls The Egyptian stock market has rallied in the past month, buoyed by the economy’s brightening prospects and hopes that the central bank’s decision to loosen its grip on the pound marks a shift towards... 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand's central bank takes a more neutral stance The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept its policy rate at 3.5% today and suggested there is now far less certainty its next move will be a hike. We are not expecting any changes in 2015 or 2016. 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Rate cuts and ECB QE to keep conditions loose Any doubts about whether monetary conditions would remain ultra-loose this year have been put to rest by the ECB’s decision to launch “full-blown” QE and the wave of rate cuts implemented during the... 28th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia’s rate pause to continue through 2015 The Malaysian central bank (BNM) unsurprisingly kept its policy rate on hold at 3.25% today, and is unlikely to make any changes during the rest of this year. There are some concerns about the pace of... 28th January 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Government eases pressure on BoJ to expand stimulus The greater tolerance being shown by Japan’s government towards inflation remaining below target simply reflects the fact that the oil price collapse has made hitting the target all but impossible in... 28th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Falling inflation not enough to trigger Thai rate cut The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left interest rates unchanged at 2.0% today despite the recent drop in inflation. While dissent within the monetary policy committee has raised the odds of a rate cut, we... 28th January 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore moves early to counter deflation concerns In an unscheduled decision, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) today loosened monetary policy by reducing the slope of its target band for the nominal effective exchange rate (NEER). The change... 28th January 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Canadian dollar likely to tumble further Softening economic conditions and speculation about another interest rate cut from the Bank of Canada will keep downward pressure on the Canadian dollar. Allowing for a modest bounce back in the price... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update ECB QE to drive European commercial property yields lower still The real impact of the ECB’s new QE programme on GDP growth and occupier demand will initially be stymied by the Greek election results and the ensuing debt re-negotiations. However, investors will be... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Brazil’s inflation outlook diverges from the pack Data released over the past month have highlighted the contrasting outlook for inflation in Brazil compared with that of the rest of the region. After a brief period within the central bank’s target... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungarian MPC hints that case for rate cuts is building The communiqué accompanying the Hungarian MPC’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged at 2.1% earlier today once again signalled that current monetary conditions are likely to stay in place for... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
RBI Watch Will Governor Rajan follow up on early rate cut? Following the RBI’s decision to cut interest rates at an unscheduled meeting earlier this month, a small majority of forecasters expect rates to be kept on hold at the scheduled policy meeting next... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Will the ECB’s QE keep the euro under pressure? While the onset of the ECB’s quantitative easing (QE) is likely to weigh on the euro in time, exchange rates are two sides of a coin, so the fate of the currency will also depend on the prospects for... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Renminbi strength puts exporters under pressure China’s exporters continued to gain global market share last year but the recent sharp rise in the renminbi against other emerging market currencies is likely to put them under pressure in 2015. US... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
