Asia Economics Weekly Burma - Asian tiger or basket case? After decades as an international pariah, Burma is catching the eye of investors. Recent market-friendly reforms, an abundance of natural resources, and proximity to China and India are some of the... 9th April 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update What does the increase in QFII and RQFII quotas mean? The increase in the amount of funds foreign investors are allowed to invest in China’s financial markets is the latest in a series of steps that relax controls on cross-border capital flows. The move... 4th April 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Bigger firewall is a small step forward The reported plans to increase the size of the euro-zone bail-out fund - hopefully to be agreed at today’s (Friday’s) Eurogroup meeting - provide some encouragement that the policymakers have... 2nd April 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexico Election Watch: Will Peña Nieto push through reforms? The Mexican presidential election race formally begins today and the latest polls suggest that the PRI’s Enrique Peña Nieto is likely to triumph in July’s vote. But while Mr. Peña Nieto has identified... 30th March 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI & German Retail Sales (Mar./Feb.) March’s euro-zone CPI inflation data confirmed that stubbornly high inflation is adding to the squeeze on households’ purchasing power from rising unemployment and fiscal tightening. 30th March 2012 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Retail sales jump flattered by temporary factors The surprisingly strong rise in Japanese retail sales in February largely reflects a number of temporary factors, including an extra shopping day due to the leap year and earthquake-related insurance... 29th March 2012 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Tankan to signal return to anaemic growth The Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey for March (to be released on Monday) will probably show a small improvement in business conditions in the first quarter, consistent with a return to growth in GDP, as... 27th March 2012 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response SME Confidence (Mar.) Confidence among Japan’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) jumped sharply in March after several months of small declines. However, sentiment is clearly fragile as firms expect conditions to... 27th March 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Mar.) March’s rise in the German Ifo Business Climate Indicator suggested that the economy remains resilient. But the increase was the smallest for some time and other business surveys paint a less upbeat... 26th March 2012 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Retail Sales (Jan.) January’s 0.5% m/m increase in retail sales, which was mainly due to sharply higher new vehicle sales, was much weaker than the 2.0% increase we had estimated. The decline in spending elsewhere, which... 22nd March 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Retail Sales (Feb.) February’s retail sales figures suggested that the recent recovery on the high street is already running out of steam. 22nd March 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update The view from the ground – Q1 2012 Business confidence in China has perked up this quarter, although demand has continued to slow. Meanwhile, a smaller share of people think property prices are excessive now than a few months ago but... 20th March 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Key challenges await Hong Kong’s new chief executive Regardless of which candidate wins the election on Sunday, the new chief executive will face a series of challenges as Hong Kong grapples with how best to deal with slowing exports, rising inequality... 19th March 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Ukraine is running out of options The IMF is highly unlikely to approve Ukraine’s request to restructure $3bn of loan repayments due this year, but the fact that the government is even considering such a move demonstrates the extent... 15th March 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Slovakian election puts fiscal policy under the spotlight Victory for the left-wing populist Smer party in Slovakia’s parliamentary election this weekend is likely to cause alarm that the commitment to austerity is fraying. While it is undoubtedly necessary... 12th March 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexico Election Watch: Presidential race starting to heat up The latest opinion polls suggest that the Mexican presidential election may be closer than expected. Further gains for the left-wing Andrés Manuel López Obrador may spark some turbulence, but in... 7th March 2012 · 1 min read
