US Economics Update Banks still easing credit conditions despite end of QE3 The Fed's latest Senior Loan Officer Survey indicates that commercial banks are making it easier for households and smaller businesses to obtain credit, suggesting that the Fed's QE taper has had no... 3rd November 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update New leverage rules should not impede recovery in lending While the additional minimum capital buffers announced by the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) this afternoon will require some banks to raise more capital over the coming years, they do not appear to... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Focus Weighing up the FHFA’s mortgage proposals Proposals to lower the minimum down-payment on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed mortgages at the same time as reducing banks’ exposure to put-back risk may help accelerate the modest loosening in... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Banking sector recovery still appears fragile Last week’s bank stress test results, September’s lending data and the ECB’s latest Bank Lending Survey all suggested that conditions in the euro-zone’s banking sector are, on the whole, improving... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus Five challenges for Romania’s next president Victor Ponta looks set to win the presidential election in Romania on Sunday at a time when the economy is being buffeted by renewed weakness in key euro-zone trading partners. The economic outlook... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Global Central Bank Watch Recent market turmoil to have mixed impact on monetary policy The turbulence in financial markets in the middle of October won’t have a major impact on monetary policy in developed economies. We do not think it is a sign that the world is heading for another... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Little reaction in the Gulf to fall in oil prices The slide in oil prices this month has raised concerns in some quarters that the Gulf States will need to tighten fiscal policy. But while the prospect of this has been talked about in Oman, lower oil... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Bank lending under pressure from new deposit rules New rules requiring banks to ensure that deposits at the end of each month deviate by no more than 3% from the monthly average are a new headwind for China’s economy. The rules are designed to prevent... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Monetary conditions set to remain loose The likely end of the Fed’s asset purchases under QE3 does little to change the bigger picture that global monetary conditions remain very loose. 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Household Borrowing Monitor (Oct.) September’s household borrowing figures confirmed that new mortgage rules and cooling demand have continued to weigh on mortgage approvals. However, we doubt that this downward trend will persist for... 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response ECB Bank Lending Survey (Oct.) The ECB’s October Bank Lending Survey (BLS) provided further evidence of a slow improvement in euro-zone credit conditions. But lending standards are still tight and the faltering economic recovery... 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Support from the Fed’s QE is not about to disappear The widely anticipated completion of the Fed’s purchases under QE3 need not mark the end of the policy’s support for global asset prices. As it happens, QE3 was not much of a boon to emerging markets... 28th October 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Stress tests offer some relief, but not for Italy On the whole, the results of Europe’s bank stress tests were positive, implying that the heavy drag that falls in bank lending have exerted on the euro-zone economy may be set to ease. But poor... 27th October 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Bank of England’s stress tests may prove tougher to pass While it is encouraging that all four of the major UK banks passed the European Banking Authority’s stress tests, the narrow margin by which some did so raises concerns that the Bank of England’s more... 27th October 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Sep.) September’s euro-zone monetary data showed further signs of improvement but with lending growth still negative and, given the need for some of the weakest banks to raise further capital, the sector is... 27th October 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Stress tests to put spotlight on Italy and Greece The Comprehensive Assessment of the euro-zone’s banks published on Sunday should go some way towards restoring sentiment in the banking sector. After all, the adverse economic scenarios to which the... 24th October 2014 · 1 min read
