Emerging Europe Economics Focus Instability to define Putin’s third term in office The widespread assumption among investors that Vladimir Putin’s decisive victory in yesterday’s presidential election will deliver stability to Russia’s economy and its financial markets seems... 5th March 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greece still in a "debt trap" Greece’s bail-out reduces the risk of an imminent default, but a closer look at the economic and fiscal projections that the package is based on adds to evidence that the deal is a fudge. The only way... 24th February 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Venezuela facing huge challenges despite bond market rally Venezuelan markets have rallied in recent days on the back of renewed speculation that the President, Hugo Chavez, will not be able to stand in October’s elections. A victory for the Opposition’s... 24th February 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russian markets shrug off political risk – but can it last? With just over a week to go to Russia’s presidential election, the markets seem to have shrugged off the possibility of a fresh wave of civil unrest following the poll. Equities are up 20% since the... 24th February 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update GCC: full political union a non-starter King Abdullah’s plan for a full political union in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is unlikely to materialise. Although each country within the GCC is similar both in terms of economic structure... 21st February 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary concedes ground to the EC, but barriers still lie ahead Hungary’s government left it late to reply to the EC’s decision to start infringement proceedings. But the fact that it has done so, coupled with conciliatory comments from PM Orban, has raised hopes... 17th February 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Retail Sales (Jan.) On the face of it, January’s official retail sales figures suggest that a recovery in high street spending is gaining momentum. But there are reasons to doubt the strength of the official data. In any... 17th February 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economic Outlook 'Arab Spring' puts the focus on near-term divergence It is becoming clear that one year on from the start of the ‘Arab Spring’ several countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are facing difficult transitions. Most of these are in... 16th February 2012 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Could a Greek default be another Lehman's moment? The global fall-out from a long-anticipated Greek government default alone should be small and manageable, even if it takes the form of a “disorderly” default without the agreement of private... 16th February 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Will Chavez get stuck in the MUD? The opposition coalition in Venezuela (MUD) has selected Henrique Capriles Radonski to face Hugo Chavez in October’s presidential election. While the outcome of the vote is too close to call at this... 13th February 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update The 'Arab Spring' one year on This Saturday marks a year since the end of Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade reign over Egypt. Only a few weeks before that, Tunisia’s revolution ended with the toppling of the Ben Ali regime. Since then... 8th February 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Political uncertainty threatens Romania's splendid isolation It goes without saying that today’s resignation of the Romanian Prime Minister, Emil Boc, in response to growing public discontent with austerity, is likely to weigh heavily on the country’s financial... 6th February 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Crunch year for the euro-zone? While the news on the euro-zone economy has improved a bit in the last month or two, 2012 could still turn out to be crunch year for the currency union. Fiscal progress in the peripheral economies has... 6th February 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Peru’s Humala makes a solid start; bigger challenges ahead Initial fears that the election of Ollanta Humala would mark a departure from the orthodox economic policies of his predecessor, Alan García, have proven to be wide of the mark. Even so, satisfying... 25th January 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update An update on Russia’s unrest In a Focus piece last month we outlined three possible ways in which the political situation in Russia might develop. Although it is still too early to say with any certainty how events will play out... 17th January 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update IMF will need to address Egypt's external funding problems The Egyptian government’s decision to resume negotiations with the IMF is good news. The proposed $3 billion facility would help plug a gaping hole in the budget. But it would not be sufficient to... 12th January 2012 · 1 min read
