Asia Economics Update Malaysia set to stay in the slow lane Bank Negara (BNM) left policy rates unchanged today at 2.00%, as expected. There were no surprises in the policy statement which pointed to rates remaining on hold for a while. Malaysia’s recovery is... 26th January 2010 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary: slower pace of easing, but rates to fall further This afternoon’s decision by the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) to cut interest rates by 25bps to 6% suggests that policymakers will now cut rates at a slower pace than we previously thought... 25th January 2010 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update In no rush to tighten (Jan 10) While policymakers in a number of countries have appeared less dovish of late, three factors should keep interest rates much lower than the markets currently expect. First, the pace of economic... 21st January 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Monetary policy after the election While analysis of the influence of the general election on economic policy has focused on the size and timing of the fiscal tightening, the conduct of monetary policy could also be affected. But... 20th January 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response MPC minutes (Jan.) & Labour market (Nov./Dec.) The minutes of January’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting suggested that the Committee is unlikely to change policy either way next month. Meanwhile, the mixed labour market data highlighted... 20th January 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Modest monetary tightening to begin in Q2 The recovery in Latin America is building momentum and all inflation-targeting economies in the region will post strong annual growth rates in the first half of this year. Meanwhile, there is a good... 20th January 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB holds its line There were no surprises from the ECB today as it waits to judge the impact of previously announced plans to phase out its emergency lending to banks. But the Bank’s cautious tone on the economic... 14th January 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India set to lift rates at the end of January The surge in December wholesale prices, published today, means that it is now a near-certainty that India will tighten monetary policy later this month. A hike in the cash reserve requirement already... 14th January 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand shifts a little towards the exit The Bank of Thailand (BoT) kept its policy rate unchanged at 1.25% today, as expected. The upswing will probably be sluggish, but the BoT did start to prime the markets to expect rates to move up in... 13th January 2010 · 1 min read
China Economics Update China starts to tighten China today hiked the required reserve ratio (RRR) of commercial banks by 50bp. Interest rate hikes will follow but they will be limited by concerns over the durability of the economic recovery. 12th January 2010 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update SNB may struggle to prevent further franc gains The Swiss National Bank’s assurance that it will intervene to prevent the franc from appreciating too much further is encouraging. But intervention now might not be as successful as in the recent past... 11th January 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update SNB may struggle to prevent further franc gains The Swiss National Bank’s assurance that it will intervene to prevent the franc from appreciating too much further is encouraging. But intervention now might not be as successful as in the recent past... 11th January 2010 · 1 min read
