Latin America Economics Update Brazil set to begin tightening monetary policy Interest rate hikes in the region are imminent. We think that a 50bps hike in Brazil this month is almost a done deal, with Peru is likely to follow suit in June. Meanwhile Colombia, and now Chile... 16th April 2010 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Changes at the top do not change outlook for policy (Apr 10) Both Poland and the Czech Republic are set to announce new Central Bank governors over the coming months. But we suspect this will do little to alter the policy bias in either country. Poland will be... 15th April 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India is virtually certain to tighten again next week Wholesale price data released today in India were not as bad as widely expected. Nevertheless, the only uncertainty ahead of the 20th April monetary review meeting is whether policy rates move up by... 15th April 2010 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Central Bank of Turkey sets out its exit strategy Earlier today the Central Bank of Turkey (CBRT) outlined its exit strategy from the additional liquidity measures it introduced during the economic crisis. These include plans to switch to a new... 14th April 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Singapore set to tighten policy The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) meets on Wednesday and, we forecast, will shift to an appreciation bias on the SGD nominal effective exchange rate. Q1 GDP growth was almost certainly very... 12th April 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update New Bank of Korea Governor in no hurry to hike The Bank of Korea (BoK) left its policy rate at 2.00% today, as expected. New BoK Governor Kim is sympathetic to the government view that monetary tightening can be delayed, while imminent elections... 9th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Downbeat ECB to maintain strong policy support While President Trichet sought to reassure markets today that aid would be provided for Greece if necessary, his call for aggressive fiscal tightening there and elsewhere underlined the prospect of... 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update MPC waits for news on fiscal squeeze Estimates of the financial cost to the UK airline industry of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland are mounting. But we doubt that the economic cost of the eruption will have a... 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Bank of Japan rightly more positive on economy The Bank of Japan tweaked its qualitative assessment of the economy today, changing a few words here and there to suggest a more positive outlook. However, we will have to wait until the latest... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Can Germany save the euro-zone? Increased domestic spending in Germany would not only assist the euro-zone’s troubled periphery but would also be in Germany’s own interests, helping to reduce unemployment. However, while there are... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australian policy rates to rise again in May The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised its cash rate to 4.25% today. GDP growth should be strong this year despite the withdrawal of stimulus measures, while core inflation remains above target... 6th April 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia on track to lift rates around mid-year Bank Indonesia (BI) left rates at 6.5% today, as expected. The economic upswing will almost certainly stay strong but bank credit growth is still weaker than the authorities would like and annual... 6th April 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Australia to pause in April before hiking in May Moving early has given the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) the flexibility to vary the pace of monetary tightening. Further rate hikes are inevitable but labour market and retail sales data have been... 5th April 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Maintaining a dovish tone The ECB is unlikely to make any major decisions at its April meeting after taking a big step towards phasing out unconventional policy support in March. While the Bank will argue that measures to... 1st April 2010 · 1 min read
BoE Watch MPC to hold fire while inflation remains high With the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) still waiting to see how the effects of its past asset purchases pan out, no change in policy is likely this month. The MPC’s fears of a rise in inflation... 1st April 2010 · 1 min read