UK Economics Update A bad bank isn't the answer either Chancellor Alistair Darling told the Treasury Select Committee yesterday that he is keeping open the option of creating a so-called “bad bank”, through which the Government would buy toxic assets from... 4th February 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Even this may not be enough to get banks lending The raft of further measures to support the banks is a significant step. It is clear that the Government has realised that the banking system will not start functioning properly again without more... 19th January 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Christmas not as bad as feared, but still bad Many of the retailers’ trading statements have been coming in at the better end of expectations, suggesting that Christmas on the high street was not quite as bad as feared. But if the latest BRC... 13th January 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Christmas not as bad as feared, but still bad Many of the retailers’ trading statements have been coming in at the better end of expectations, suggesting that Christmas on the high street was not quite as bad as feared. But if the latest BRC... 13th January 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Discount retailers to remain relative winners Discount and value retailers have proved to be the relative winners during this consumer spending slowdown, as households have traded down to buying cheaper goods. What’s more, they could benefit... 9th January 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Discount retailers to remain relative winners Discount and value retailers have proved to be the relative winners during this consumer spending slowdown, as households have traded down to buying cheaper goods. What’s more, they could benefit... 9th January 2009 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Japanese Tankan could have been a lot worse The Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey of business conditions was not quite as bad as we had feared, but we may just have been a quarter early. The one consolation is that Japan is not alone – other major... 15th December 2008 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Japanese Tankan could have been a lot worse The Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey of business conditions was not quite as bad as we had feared, but we may just have been a quarter early. The one consolation is that Japan is not alone – other major... 15th December 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Brace for an awful Tankan We expect the headline numbers from the Bank of Japan’s quarterly “Tankan” survey for December, released next Monday, to be even worse than the consensus. Our forecast for the large manufacturers’... 10th December 2008 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Brace for an awful Tankan We expect the headline numbers from the Bank of Japan’s quarterly “Tankan” survey for December, released next Monday, to be even worse than the consensus. Our forecast for the large manufacturers’... 10th December 2008 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Will Christmas bring relief for the high street? Tomorrow’s CBI Distributive Trades Survey will give one of the first indications from the retail sector as a whole as to how the pre-Christmas spending season is shaping up. The failure of Woolworths... 27th November 2008 · 1 min read
China Economics Focus Is China running out of steam after 30 years of reform? Thirty years after the launch of reform in China, the experience of Japan and the Asian tigers underlines the need for China to shift its economic model if it is to sustain rapid growth over the... 24th November 2008 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Widening pension deficits another constraint on investment An important consequence of the recent sharp falls in asset prices is an increase in the size of firms’ pension fund deficits. With profits set to fall sharply and the credit crunch reducing firms’... 17th November 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update New French Government forecasts still look too optimistic Despite today’s downward revisions, the French Government’s projections for GDP growth and the public finances still look much too optimistic. The fact that the Government seems prepared to allow... 6th November 2008 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Tankan shows Japan's economy slowing, not collapsing The Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey of business conditions was disappointing but not disastrous. The detail contained some reassuring news with regard to financial conditions and the labour market. 1st October 2008 · 1 min read
