Europe Economics Update ECB Bank Lending Survey (Q4 2025) The ECB’s Q4 Bank Lending Survey, published this morning, suggests that banks have become more cautious about lending to companies while consumers remain reluctant to spend. It also showed that the... 3rd February 2026 · 3 mins read
Japan Economics Update Using GPIF to stabilise JGB market not a panacea Shifting the asset allocation of Japan’s largest pension fund back towards domestic bonds could help stabilise the JGB market should yields start to surge again. However, it would come at a sizeable... 28th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s growing banking risks don’t raise alarm bells yet Vulnerabilities in Egypt’s banking sector look high by EM standards, but there are signs that these risks should ease and the banking sector has large capital buffers. Perhaps the bigger issue is that... 21st January 2026 · 3 mins read
China Economics Update Limited monetary easing won’t boost growth The PBOC has announced plans to cut interest rates on structural policy tools, and suggested broader-based policy rate cuts are on the horizon. But we doubt rate cuts will be enough to drive up loan... 15th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update UAE’s growth to ease but will continue to lead the Gulf The UAE’s economy enjoyed another strong year in 2025. Rising oil output will continue to support headline GDP growth over the coming quarters. And while there are signs that that activity in the rest... 15th January 2026 · 3 mins read
China Rapid Response China Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Dec. 2025) Credit growth in China continued to slow in December, as government bond issuance decelerated. Although the PBOC is signalling that policy rate cuts are on the horizon, this is unlikely to prevent... 15th January 2026 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: pick-up in credit growth has further to run Private sector credit growth in South Africa has accelerated and, with further monetary easing on the cards and crowding out by the government likely to wane, we think this will continue. Stronger... 7th January 2026 · 4 mins read
Japan Economics Update Bank of Japan isn’t falling behind the curve just yet We aren’t convinced that the Bank of Japan is falling behind the curve despite the recent acceleration in bank lending. Nonetheless, there are few signs that BoJ rate hikes are resulting in tighter... 5th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Emerging Europe Economic Outlook Diverging outlook as war in Ukraine drags on Most economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will experience stronger GDP growth in 2026 as external demand picks up and fiscal policy is kept loose (or loosened), while Russia’s economy will... 15th December 2025 · 25 mins read
China Rapid Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Nov.) Credit data for November showed net new financing more than doubling. But that mostly reflects the usual seasonal pattern. To iron out that seasonality, we prefer to look at growth in outstanding... 12th December 2025 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi’s non-oil economy faces growing headwinds in 2026 The Saudi economy has been boosted by the unwinding of oil output cuts this year and this will continue over the coming quarters, but a step up in fiscal consolidation efforts means that overall GDP... 10th December 2025 · 3 mins read
US Economics Update Should we fear the 2026 “maturity wall”? The rise in the number of business bankruptcies this year, despite little change in default rates for bank loans or speculative-grade debt, seems to reflect the larger number of firms trying to re... 9th December 2025 · 4 mins read
India Economic Outlook Economy to cool, but outperformance to continue After a very strong 2025, economic growth in India is likely to slow in 2026 and 2027 in the face of punitive US tariffs. But they could get rolled back and, even if they don’t, India will remain a... 9th December 2025 · 17 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro-zone growth will remain weak The small upward revision to the euro-zone's third-quarter GDP growth, from +0.2% to +0.3% q/q, does not change our view that there has been no meaningful increase in momentum in the second half of... 5th December 2025 · 5 mins read
Japan Economics Weekly 10-year JGB yield set to reach 30-year high In the wake of the BoJ signaling a rate hike at its December meeting, the 10-year JGB yield has approached 2% and we think it will climb to a 30-year high of 2.5% over the next couple of years. We... 5th December 2025 · 5 mins read
