US Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Feb.) The gradual contraction of the Fed’s balance sheet is now starting to weigh on the monetary aggregates. Nonetheless, there are good reasons to expect bank lending growth to rebound soon. 28th March 2018 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Will EM credit spreads continue to rise? The spreads of emerging market (EM) sovereign dollar bonds have been edging up since their lows a couple of months ago, and we think that they have further to rise over the next two years. 22nd March 2018 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus Africa: Debt positions fragile in face of economic shocks Africa’s public debt problems are currently concentrated in Mozambique, Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, & Zambia. Elsewhere, however, it would only take a small shock to prompt a crisis (Kenya & South Africa... 21st March 2018 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Feb.) Japanese households and firms now both receive more in interest income than they pay out on their debt. That is making life difficult for banks. The main factor keeping them afloat is their sizeable... 20th March 2018 · 1 min read
China Economics Update New PBOC chief a safe choice but his hands are tied After 15 years at the helm of the People’s Bank, Zhou Xiaochuan is passing the title of governor to his protégé Yi Gang, a technocrat with two decades of experience at the central bank. Yi has been a... 19th March 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Household deleveraging likely to restrain growth The small income-driven decline in the household debt-to-income ratio in the fourth quarter of 2017 provides a glimmer of hope that the economy might be able to successfully grow its way out of debt... 15th March 2018 · 1 min read
EM Markets Chart Pack Credit spreads likely to rise again before long Emerging market (EM) credit spreads have stabilised recently after a slight pick-up in early February on the back of the sell-off in global equity markets. But this may just be a temporary respite. In... 15th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Qatar: banking strains ease, but credit to stay weak Qatar’s banking sector has weathered the worst of the impact of the blockade. But tight external financing conditions and a need to deleverage mean that credit growth will provide less of a prop to... 14th March 2018 · 1 min read
India Economics Update PNB scandal highlights need for governance reforms The fraud scandal engulfing Punjab National Bank, India’s second largest state-owned bank, is a stark reminder that recent measures to revive the banking sector, including the recapitalisation package... 13th March 2018 · 1 min read
China Data Response Bank Lending & Broad Credit (Feb.) The amount of new loans issued by Chinese banks fell sharply last month. But this happens in February of almost every year. More important is that broader credit growth is now at multi-year lows. 9th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Bahrain and Oman: austerity to gather pace to cap debt Public debt-to-GDP ratios in Bahrain and Oman are on a worrying path and we expect the pace of austerity to be stepped up over the coming years to slow the rise in debt. However, that will come at the... 8th March 2018 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jan.) The reduction in the Fed’s balance sheet has begun to gather pace but is still having next to no impact on the monetary aggregates, suggesting that the effect on the broader economy will also be small... 6th March 2018 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenya: Debt worries building Kenya’s public debt load is not particularly large, but the recent run-up in debt is clearly not sustainable. Our core view is that the government will tighten policy and that the debt burden will... 5th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update New Saudi bankruptcy law a step in the right direction Saudi Arabia’s new bankruptcy law, which was approved by King Salman last month, will make it easier to deal with the fallout from corporate failures and, through improving access to credit, support... 1st March 2018 · 5 mins read
UK Economics Update Household Borrowing Monitor (Jan.) January’s household borrowing figures will help to assuage fears that the slowdown in the housing market is gathering pace. And consumers still appear confident enough to borrow to smooth their... 1st March 2018 · 1 min read
