Japan Data Response Tankan (Q4) Today’s Tankan survey showed that business conditions didn’t improve much further this quarter which suggests that growth is now slowing. Nonetheless, capacity and staff shortages continue to... 15th December 2017 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Machinery Orders (Oct.) The rebound in machinery orders left them no higher than their Q3 average, but we’ve still pencilled in another rise in business investment this quarter. 13th December 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Saudi politics emerges as key economic risk Saudi politics has been a staid affair for decades, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s launch of an anti-corruption crackdown and his ratcheting up of tensions with Iran herald a period of greater... 12th December 2017 · 1 min read
India Economics Focus Are India’s banks in the clear? The recapitalisation package recently announced by the government is the most significant measure yet to tidy up India’s beleaguered banking system and should all but enable India’s banks to meet... 11th December 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly European Monetary Fund is no silver bullet The European Commission’s (EC) latest proposals for euro-zone reform and integration centred on the transformation of the European Stability Mechanism into a European Monetary Fund (EMF). The EC plans... 8th December 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update EU to give green light for phase two of negotiations With the European Commission satisfied that “sufficient progress” has been made on the first phase of the Brexit negotiations, an important milestone on the road to Brexit has been reached. There are... 8th December 2017 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update What would an AMLO presidency mean for Mexico? Mexico’s presidential election race is starting to take shape, with Finance Minister José Antonio Meade this month stepping down from his post in order to run on the ticket of the ruling PRI party... 7th December 2017 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Focus Will the Bank of Japan follow the Fed and the ECB? A long period of sustained economic growth has helped drive unemployment in Japan to its lowest level in nearly a quarter of a century. Nonetheless, inflation and wage growth are both barely positive... 7th December 2017 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update A guide to elections in 2018 In this note we publish a guide to elections that are scheduled across the emerging world in 2018. The calendar is busier than it was in 2017 but, whereas elections this year boosted the prospects for... 6th December 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Economy maintaining its momentum in Q4 The Office for National Statistics confirmed that GDP grew by 0.4% in Q3 and the economy appears to have maintained its recent momentum so far in the fourth quarter. Indeed, November’s Markit/CIPS... 5th December 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Brexit bill breakthrough is a positive step forward While the UK Government’s revised offer on the financial settlement with the EU is a positive step forwards, it is not sufficient alone to progress negotiations to the next phase. Meanwhile, if... 1st December 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly Is the gloom on investment justified? A slowdown in investment growth is one of the main factors underpinning the consensus expectation for economic growth to slow in 2018. That comes despite the fact that ordinary drivers of investment... 1st December 2017 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Labour Market, Household Spending, Consumer Prices (Oct.) & Capital Spending (Q3) Today’s household spending data suggest that private consumption remained sluggish this quarter. Meanwhile, there are still few signs that the tight labour market is boosting price pressures. 1st December 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Is Brexit uncertainty about to lift? Expectations that the growth of the UK economy will slow further in 2018 appear to assume that Brexitrelated uncertainty will have a more damaging impact next year. But there is a growing chance that... 30th November 2017 · 1 min read
India Economics Update More needed to develop corporate bond market The development of a corporate bond market in India could reduce local firms’ heavy reliance on bank loans to obtain funding and improve the pricing of risk, which would have knock-on benefits for the... 30th November 2017 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Industrial Production (Oct.) Even though industrial production disappointed in October, optimistic forecasts for the remainder of Q4 suggest that activity accelerated towards the end of the year. 30th November 2017 · 1 min read
