Europe Economics Update Bavarian state election points to national grand coalition While the CSU, sister party to Angela Merkel’s CDU, won a clear victory in Bavaria yesterday, the poor showing for the FDP bodes ill for the current coalition at a national level. The chance of Mrs... 16th September 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Machinery Orders (Jul.) Even though machinery orders failed to reverse the previous month's dip in July, they still point to a further rebound in business investment in the third quarter. As capacity utilisation rises... 12th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What would a left-wing coalition mean for Germany? The possible coalition of Germany’s SPD, Green and Left parties after next week’s election would probably mean slightly higher taxes and spending than under the more likely alternatives of a grand... 9th September 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Consumer Confidence & Economy Watchers’ Survey (Aug.) The ongoing falls in consumer confidence and the Economy Watchers’ Survey (EWS) indicate that confidence in "Abenomics" has faded. While other surveys remain at strong levels, the EWS has a better... 9th September 2013 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Vodafone payout won’t top up the economy With Vodafone’s sale of its stake in the US telecoms company Verizon expected to deliver almost £24bn to UK investors, the potential impact has been compared to that of the Bank of England’s... 5th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What would a new government mean for Norway? The Conservative-led opposition is favourite to win the Norwegian election on the 9th September. But the party looks unlikely to tackle the economy’s twin addiction to energy exports and household... 3rd September 2013 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update What would a new government mean for Norway? The Conservative-led opposition is favourite to win the Norwegian election on the 9th September. But the party looks unlikely to tackle the economy’s twin addiction to energy exports and household... 3rd September 2013 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Is there any point in the G20? Investors have long ago learnt to expect little of substance to emerge from the formal meetings of G20 leaders and finance ministers. The group is too large and disparate to function as an effective... 2nd September 2013 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update How big are the global risks from Syria? The recent events in Syria are, above all, a human tragedy, but it falls on us to address the wider market and economic implications too. A further rise in oil prices would threaten to turn a... 28th August 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Small Business Confidence (Aug.) The pick-up in small business confidence in August shows that firms remain confident about the economic recovery. Spare capacity is also expected to shrink further and profitabilityis strong, which... 27th August 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Raising the official retirement age may have little impact Japan's adverse demographics and huge public debt are strengthening the pressure for labour market reforms that could both lift economic growth and save the government money. However, raising the... 26th August 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update How badly will political unrest hit Egyptian tourism? The outbreak of violence in Egypt has made the economic outlook highly uncertain. But it’s pretty clear that the tourism sector will be hard hit, as it has been during previous bouts of unrest. We... 22nd August 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Egypt sinks further into crisis, Gulf’s prospects brightening The outbreak of violence between security forces and protestors this month has sent Egypt spiralling deeper into crisis. It’s extremely tricky to predict how eventswill unfold from here on. In the... 20th August 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Focus What does the “services revolution” mean for EMs? Improvements in technology are making it increasingly easy to trade services. This has led some commentators to argue that services can become a more viable driver of EM growth, allowing EMs to break... 14th August 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Manufacturing PMI (Jul.) & Labour Cash Earnings (Jun.) The first drop in the manufacturing PMI since late last year indicates that the recovery may now be entering a slower phase. Meanwhile wage growth remains insufficient to compensate for rising... 31st July 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Egypt in turmoil (again) Egypt’s “second revolution” has made the outlook for the Arab world’s most populous nation highly uncertain. The economy is already extremely fragile – growth is sluggish, unemployment is high and the... 24th July 2013 · 1 min read
