Japan Economics Weekly Strong headwinds still buffeting Japanese consumers The weakness of demand after the recent consumption tax hike pushed the Bank of Japan on Friday to ease policy and could prompt the government in coming weeks to cancel the second hike currently... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly How much slack is left in the NIEs? There are indications that the amount of spare capacity in the Newly Industrialised Economies (NIEs: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Korea) is starting to be used up. As a result, while there is... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Minimal impact from the end of QE3 Asia's financial markets have so far taken the end of QE3 largely in their stride. The performance of the region's currencies and equity markets has been fairly muted over the past month, while... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia: next move in interest rates could be down Interest rates in Colombia were left unchanged at 4.50% last night and with economic growth slowing and inflation unlikely to pose a problem for policymakers, further interest rate hikes now seem... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update BoJ sets stage for further weakening of yen It always looked likely that the Bank of Japan would be forced to step up its pace of easing but the change of tack has come sooner than the market (or we) had expected. Given the recent downward... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Growth in Taiwan to remain solid if unspectacular Taiwan’s economy picked up slightly last quarter, on the back of stronger exports, investment and public spending. Over the next year or so, we expect Taiwan’s economy to continue to record decent... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
BoE Watch Case for inaction remains robust The current weakness of domestic price pressures and the euro-zone’s continued malaise suggest that the MPC is likely to keep Bank Rate on hold for a few more months. But the Committee is unlikely to... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Political pressure keeping lid on QE for now The ECB seems unlikely to announce any new policies this month as it continues to purchase small quantities of covered bonds and prepares to buy asset-backed securities. With the risk of deflation... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Global Central Bank Watch Recent market turmoil to have mixed impact on monetary policy The turbulence in financial markets in the middle of October won’t have a major impact on monetary policy in developed economies. We do not think it is a sign that the world is heading for another... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil’s central bank tries to claw back lost credibility The surprise decision by Brazil’s central bank to raise interest rates now, rather than waiting for Dilma Rousseff’s new government to take shape, is an early sign that tackling inflation could be... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Zealand's next rate hike looking more distant The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept its policy rate at 3.5% today for the second meeting in a row. Subdued inflation, slowing growth and the strength of the New Zealand dollar all suggest that... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update The end of QE and what it means for emerging markets Most of the emerging world should take the end of QE3 in its stride. The link between QE and capital flows to EMs has often been exaggerated. And while some EMs look vulnerable as US rates move up, it... 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed halts QE3 and takes slightly more hawkish stance As expected, the Fed today announced an end to its third round of large-scale asset purchases (aka QE3). Slightly less expected, however, is that despite the recent market volatility, the statement... 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Monetary conditions set to remain loose The likely end of the Fed’s asset purchases under QE3 does little to change the bigger picture that global monetary conditions remain very loose. 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Oct.) The latest monetary indicators provided further evidence to suggest that there is no pressing need for the Monetary Policy Committee to start to raise interest rates yet. 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Chart Pack No sign of improvement Economic growth in Emerging Asia is showing no sign of improvement. Our GDP tracker is pointing to growth of around 4.5% in the third quarter, which is roughly unchanged from the previous quarter and... 28th October 2014 · 1 min read
