Global Economics Rapid Response Greenland tariffs: the political consequences would trump the economic It remains unclear whether President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on eight European countries unless a deal is reached to acquire Greenland will ever materialise. But if it does, the economic... 18th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB independence is not at risk The ECB does not face the same imminent threat to its independence as the US Fed, but it could come under more pressure from politicians in future. However, it would be much harder for governments to... 16th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Angola’s aggressive rate cut, SA’s political instability Angola’s central bank cut interest rates by more than expected this week to prop up struggling growth, but growing imbalances make the kwanza vulnerable to falls which could bring this monetary easing... 16th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly US-Venezuela thaw, Mexico’s AI exports, BanRep hikes Recent developments point to a thawing in relations between the US and Venezuela under interim President Delcy Rodríguez, with a possible rolling back of sanctions now being discussed by US officials... 16th January 2026 · 5 mins read
India Economics Weekly Exports to US (and imports from Russia) holding up The December goods trade data released this week continue to show resilience in exports to the US at the headline level. But that probably reflects strength in tariff-exempt sectors such as... 16th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly The latest on the protests in Iran The US appears to have backed away from military intervention to support protestors in Iran, helping oil prices to fall today. But the situation remains extremely fragile. Any near-term disruption to... 15th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Update Vietnam Party Congress: balancing stability and reform Vietnam’s Party Congress, beginning Monday, comes at a critical juncture. Following a period of political turbulence, To Lam looks set to be confirmed as both general secretary and state president... 15th January 2026 · 5 mins read
Japan Economics Update Snap elections won’t result in major fiscal loosening While the ruling LDP/Ishin No Kai coalition will probably enhance its majority in the upcoming Lower House elections, we aren’t convinced that this will herald a further major loosening of fiscal... 15th January 2026 · 4 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Emerging Markets Chart Pack (January 2026) EM GDP growth will slow to ~3.5% in 2026-27, the weakest rate in the past three decades outside times of crisis. But there are wide divergences at a country level. Much of the weakness in EM growth... 14th January 2026 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Pensions & public finances: not just a French problem Far from being only a French problem, pensions will be a growing fiscal headache in all the major euro-zone countries in the coming decade as populations age. In France and Italy, this will add to the... 14th January 2026 · 24 mins read
Commodities Update Iran instability a bigger headache than Venezuela The risks to the oil market from growing instability in Iran are much greater than in Venezuela. This is not only because Iran produces much more oil itself, but there are also a greater number of... 14th January 2026 · 4 mins read
China Economics Focus China’s AI rollout could rival the US One year on from DeepSeek’s breakthrough, Chinese AI is still hot on the heels of US tech. Despite hardware constraints, China looks set to remain close to the frontier of AI development. And China... 14th January 2026 · 31 mins read
Global Economics Focus How tariffs are (and are not) reshaping world trade This Focus answers 10 questions about the tariff state of play, how trade flows are changing, and whether the resilience of world trade will last. Beyond our conclusion that trade will continue to... 14th January 2026 · 25 mins read
Asia Economics Update Will Taiwan deploy its “chips weapon”? Taiwan last year briefly flirted with imposing restrictions on its exports of semiconductors as part of an effort to assert its foreign policy interests. But there are strong reasons for officials to... 14th January 2026 · 7 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Venezuela’s potentially messy sovereign debt restructuring Venezuela faces one of the largest and most complex sovereign debt restructurings on record. A high debt ratio, a complex array of creditors, deep-rooted issues in Venezuela’s oil sector as well as... 13th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: Anwar failing to make progress on reform Anwar Ibrahim is now just over three years into his first term as prime minister of Malaysia. The restoration of political stability under his premiership is welcome, and he also deserves credit for... 13th January 2026 · 4 mins read
