Europe Economics Weekly Will QE spur a revival in investment? The risks of a Greek default and possible euro-zone exit rose further last week as its creditors made clear that a bailout disbursement was unlikely in the near term. Despite this, ECB President Mario... 17th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek crisis may finally be coming to a head The Greek crisis has reached a new crunch point amid signs that the Eurogroup will not grant desperately needed financial aid after next week’s meeting. Greece might resort to IOUs and/or capital... 16th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Don’t underestimate the economy’s hidden slack Economists and policymakers are significantly overestimating the permanent damage inflicted to the economy from the financial crisis and recession. We still think that the economy has the potential to... 16th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Fiscal paths not as different as manifestos imply The political parties’ manifestos have confirmed that the scale of the fiscal squeeze could be very different depending on which of them is in power. But there are various factors that will probably... 15th April 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update India overtaking China – what is all the fuss about? Among the more headline-grabbing developments in the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook is that the Fund is now forecasting India’s economy to grow faster than China’s in 2015 and 2016. But putting... 15th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update French tax breaks seem unlikely to revive investment Investment has been the weakest link in France’s feeble economic recovery so far. But it is not clear that the French Government’s latest plans will alter this picture dramatically. For that, a... 14th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Consumer Prices & Producer Prices (Mar.) UK inflation held at zero in March, but it could yet dip into negative territory at some point in the coming months. But regardless of whether inflation turns negative or not, the big picture is that... 14th April 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Mar.) The Bank of Japan now owns more Japanese government bonds than private pension funds and insurance companies combined. However, with the government pension fund continuing to shed bonds, and usage of... 14th April 2015 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update New government will struggle to revive Finland’s economy The opposition Centre Party looks likely to be the largest party in a coalition government after Finland’s general election on 19th April. But the outcome of the election is unlikely to have a major... 13th April 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update North Africa: 5-6% growth achievable, but reforms are crucial The outlook for the North African economies of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia has brightened over the last twelve months and we expect growth to strengthen again this year. Further ahead, low income... 13th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update New government will struggle to revive Finland’s economy The opposition Centre Party looks likely to be the largest party in a coalition government after Finland’s general election on 19th April. But the outcome of the election is unlikely to have a major... 13th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly Should we trust the upbeat business surveys? The last few weeks have seen mixed messages on the health of the economic recovery, with the upbeat tone of the business surveys contrasting with initial official estimates of output in the first two... 10th April 2015 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update How will gilts fare following the UK election? Historically, the yield of 10-year gilts has sometimes moved immediately upon a surprise election result and over the next six months in response to sweeping reforms of a newly elected government... 10th April 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Re-shoring not as beneficial as widely thought Despite press reports that suggest the opposite, there is no evidence that Japanese firms have returned manufacturing production to their homeland on a large scale. Even if they did, this would be no... 10th April 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Assessing the impact of a potential nuclear deal with Iran There are many details that still need to be ironed out, but earlier this month Iran and the West moved another step closer to securing an agreement over Tehran’s nuclear programme. As we explain in... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read