India Economics Update Containment measures put onus on finance ministry The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India is now rising sharply and, in response, most states have implemented full or partial lockdowns. With many households likely to have very low savings... 24th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Capital Daily Policymakers still struggling to turn the tide in markets While the US Congress remains deadlocked over the fiscal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fed has once more stepped into the breach with another massive monetary policy support package. Although... 23rd March 2020 · 7 mins read
Europe Economics Update Germany opens the fiscal taps Germany’s supplementary budget for nearly 5% of GDP sets an example that other euro-zone countries are likely to follow. However, we suspect that the costs will end up being much higher even than this... 23rd March 2020 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Australia - Fiscal support ramped up as shutdown looms Australia is moving closer to shutting down a large share of its services sector and we now expect GDP to fall by 4% this year. The government is responding with a second, larger fiscal stimulus... 23rd March 2020 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Update Gov’t pays about £110bn to stop unemployment rising 20th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Emerging Europe Economics Weekly Output set to collapse, policy support likely to build The downside risks to the global economy have now become reality and the effects of the coronavirus outbreak will cause output to fall sharply in Q2 and GDP across the region will contract this year... 20th March 2020 · 5 mins read
Further fiscal support needed Finance Minister Bill Morneau this week unveiled a fiscal package equivalent to 3.6% of GDP to help offset the disruption caused the coronavirus outbreak. This may be enough to prevent the forthcoming... 20th March 2020 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Republican stimulus bill only a first step The Republican senators’ fiscal proposals would provide an immediate stimulus worth more than 2% of GDP and help to offset some of the damage to the economy from the coronavirus outbreak. That said... 20th March 2020 · 4 mins read
UK Data Response Public Finances (Feb.) After coming in at about 2% of GDP in 2019/20, the budget deficit will soon explode to close to the size seen in the great financial crisis. The government’s measures to combat the economic fallout of... 20th March 2020 · 2 mins read
China Economics Weekly Officials still in denial over growth, scale of stimulus China’s government will only lower its 2020 GDP target marginally, to around 5% according to media reports. Given the sharp contraction in output this quarter, this would require implausibly strong... 20th March 2020 · 4 mins read
India Economics Weekly Policymakers hold back, rupee drops to record low Both Prime Minister Modi and RBI Governor Das took cautious steps in their responses to the coronavirus outbreak this week, but left the door open for more aggressive measures. With domestic virus... 20th March 2020 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Massive policy response to deteriorating outlook The draconian measures in place in Australia to curb the spread of the virus are weighing heavily on economic activity. We now expect output to decline by 2% in 2020 and the unemployment rate to rise... 20th March 2020 · 4 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Australia - Second stimulus will focus on damage control We suspect that the fiscal stimulus package that will be unveiled over the weekend will focus on limiting the damage from the coronavirus outbreak rather than on providing a large boost to demand... 20th March 2020 · 3 mins read
US Economics Update Fiscal support needed, but Fed still has more to do The Fed’s revival of financial crisis-era programs and a huge ramp-up in the pace of its open-ended Treasury purchases in recent days could help to stem some of the bleeding in financial markets. But... 19th March 2020 · 4 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi oil policy, MENA virus responses ramp up The news that Saudi Arabia will deepen fiscal austerity suggests that, despite oil prices falling to their lowest levels since the early 2000s, the authorities have no immediate plans to reverse... 19th March 2020 · 5 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Covid-19: Will EM policymakers respond aggressively? Governments in the developed world are unveiling major fiscal and monetary policy responses to try to stave off a financial crisis, and some EMs (notably parts of Emerging Europe and Emerging Asia)... 19th March 2020 · 3 mins read
