China Economics Update The view from the ground – Q3 2014 Perhaps the most notable development in today’s quarterly surveys from the People’s Bank is the sharp drop in reported loan demand but there are some more positive developments too. Firms report... 19th September 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Credit growth in Emerging Asia still unsustainable We have been arguing for some time that Emerging Asia’s credit binge is unsustainable, and that credit growth will need to slow for a crisis to be avoided. While there are encouraging signs that... 19th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Problems at Bank Asya turn attention to Turkey’s bank risks The near-collapse of the Turkish Islamic bank, Bank Asya, seems to be an isolated incident, the result of political feuding more than bad credit decisions. But it has put the spotlight back onto... 19th September 2014 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack More targeted support for small firms Although liquidity operations by the PBOC have received the most attention this week, further measures to support small firms that were announced by the State Council on Wednesday are arguably more... 18th September 2014 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Latest move by PBOC is not a policy shift The general impression seems to be that the latest liquidity injections by the People’s Bank are a form of stealth stimulus. But these are in fact run-of-the-mill operations designed to smooth... 17th September 2014 · 1 min read
China Data Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Aug.) Broad credit growth continued to slow in August. However, a rebound in net new bank loans last month suggests that concerns about weak demand for credit, following a collapse in lending in July, were... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Aug.) Loan growth has remained stable in recent months though banks were predicting a sharp slowdown in lending following the sales tax hike. Nonetheless, we still think that borrowing will slow in the not... 11th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Cyprus foreclosure bill will help banks but hit households The Cypriot parliament passed a controversial bill on 6th September, reducing the time it takes toforeclose non-performing business loans and mortgages. While the bill is likely to help banks ahead... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African banking sector under scrutiny The Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) recent bailout of African Bank has raised concerns over the state of South Africa’s wider financial sector. But as we explain in this Watch, although other smaller banks... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Looser credit standards may help Italian firms More favourable terms and conditions for loans to Italian firms point to a possible pick-up ininvestment and industrial production in the coming quarters. However, there is little evidence we willsee... 8th September 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economic Outlook Treading water Economic growth in Latin America slowed further in the first half of 2014 and we see little chance of a strong rebound over the coming quarters. The key props to strong growth in the past decade are... 8th September 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Fed tightening and EM vulnerabilities: a stock-take A handful of EMs – mainly in Asia – have taken steps to reduce their external vulnerabilities in the wake of last year’s “Taper Tantrum”. But these countries are the exception rather than the rule... 5th September 2014 · 1 min read
China Economics Update New light on government borrowing Reforms just agreed should drastically reduce off-budget borrowing by local governments and make it much easier to monitor the build-up of government debt. These moves are long overdue but the fact... 3rd September 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Household Borrowing Monitor (Aug.) July’s household borrowing figures provided further signs that the consumer recoveryhas not been driven by an unsustainable credit binge. Meanwhile, mortgage lendinglooks set to recover gradually as... 1st September 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly UK better placed to weather another euro-zone storm With euro-zone activity indicators having softened over recent months, it looks as if the currency bloc’s nascent recovery is already losing steam. Without bolder policy action from the ECB, the risks... 29th August 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Weaker growth looms for twin deficit countries Ghana’s authorities bowed to the inevitable earlier this month by formally requesting assistance from the IMF in dealing with the country’s enormous twin budget and current account deficits. This... 29th August 2014 · 1 min read
