Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Strong income growth in New Zealand won’t last The resignation of New Zealand’s Prime Minister opens the door for the opposition to return to power, who have signalled looser policy at a time when government spending is already around record highs... 20th January 2023 · 6 mins read
India Chart Pack Global fracturing: India tilts further away from China India has historically remained unaligned geopolitically but we made the case last year that, in a fracturing global economy, it was more likely to lean towards a US-led bloc and away from a China-led... 18th January 2023 · 9 mins read
US Economics Update Risk of debt ceiling crisis is rising Raising the federal debt ceiling later this year will require bipartisan compromise, most likely involving measures to reduce the budget deficit modestly. But a deal probably won’t be reached until... 17th January 2023 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly South Africa’s ruling party policies stuck in old ways At a key policy conference, South Africa’s ruling party officials offered little by way of new ideas to address the country’s mounting economic challenges. And some fresh proposals risk making matters... 13th January 2023 · 7 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly What do the latest falls in the EGP mean for Egypt? The Egyptian pound has pared its losses after sharp falls against the dollar on Wednesday in a sign that, just like 2016, the currency may have overshot. The central bank may sense an opportunity to... 12th January 2023 · 7 mins read
Africa Economics Update Runners and riders in Nigeria’s upcoming elections In the first instalment of our Election Watch series ahead of the late-February polls in Nigeria, we assess the economic policies proposed by key candidates. The elections offer a chance to depart... 12th January 2023 · 7 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Worst case scenarios avoided, but outlook still poor There has been a further slight improvement in prospects for the euro-zone in recent weeks. Business surveys suggest that activity is no longer contracting sharply, headline inflation seems to be past... 10th January 2023 · 11 mins read
UK Economics Update Shift to a bigger state won’t curtail GDP growth While the shift towards higher taxes and spending after the pandemic appears to be here to stay, there is little to suggest an expanded state would curtail GDP growth. But without supply-side reforms... 10th January 2023 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly What lies in store in 2023, Ghana’s latest debt-move The new year has started with economies in Sub-Saharan Africa bracing for disruptions due to the end of zero-COVID in China and a looming global recession. While these are likely to pass by mid-year... 6th January 2023 · 5 mins read
UK Economics Update Cooling wholesale gas price to aid the economy The recent plunge in wholesale gas prices means that utility prices for households may fall below the government’s price freeze in July. As a result, CPI inflation will be around 0.3 percentage points... 6th January 2023 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Fears EGP fall will trigger sovereign debt crisis overdone The latest fall in the Egyptian pound sends a strong signal that the authorities are committed to the shift to a more flexible exchange rate. And while the weaker currency poses a threat to the... 5th January 2023 · 8 mins read
China Chart Pack Three years on It is three years since a cluster of cases of severe pneumonia started to draw attention in Wuhan. Chart 1 maps economic developments in China since then. The blue bars show cumulative growth since... 4th January 2023 · 12 mins read
US Economics Weekly 2023: recession, disinflation… and debt ceiling crisis? This week brought further signs of slowing activity growth and falling inflation, trends we expect to intensify next year. Meanwhile, Congress has averted a government shutdown, but there appears to... 23rd December 2022 · 10 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly 2022 ends with a debt bang 2022 will be a year to forget for many African economies – it was marked by growing balance sheet strains and culminated in Ghana's government opting to default on much of its external debt earlier... 23rd December 2022 · 5 mins read
US Chart Pack Falling inflation will be the big story of 2023 The November CPI report marked the second successive undershoot in inflation and there is mounting evidence that it will continue to fall sharply in 2023. (See Chart 1.) Core goods prices are coming... 21st December 2022 · 9 mins read
UK Data Response Public Finances (Nov.) November’s public finances figures showed that government borrowing is rising fast. And with most of the costs from the government’s energy price support in 2022/23 still to feed through, that implies... 21st December 2022 · 4 mins read