Japan Economics Weekly Struggling to generate inflation even now While inflation in most advanced economies is now well above central banks’ targets, it is still negative in Japan. This is largely due to idiosyncratic factors that should fade by the middle of next... 17th September 2021 · 5 mins read
Global Economics Update What an Evergrande collapse would mean for the world We think that the ‘China’s Lehman moment’ narrative is wide of the mark. On its own, a managed default or even messy collapse of Evergrande would have little global impact beyond some market... 16th September 2021 · 3 mins read
FX Markets Update What China’s economic slowdown may mean for FX markets The growing risks associated with the property sector in China underscore our view that the renminbi will weaken against the US dollar before long, even if financial stability risks do not escalate... 16th September 2021 · 4 mins read
Asia Economics Update Can Sri Lanka avoid default? Falling foreign exchange reserves, a declining currency and a high level of foreign currency debt mean the risk of a sovereign default in Sri Lanka is growing. While the country should be able to... 16th September 2021 · 5 mins read
Bank of Japan Watch PM frontrunner Kono may favour sharper taper Dug in for an extended hold, the Bank of Japan won’t alter its major policy settings at its September meeting. Further ahead though, PM Suga’s successor – to be elected in two weeks’ time – may look... 16th September 2021 · 8 mins read
Japan Data Response Japan External Trade (Aug. 2021) Today’s trade figures suggest that export volumes kept rising and we think that Japan’s focus on cars and machinery means that they will hold up better than in other Asian economies. 16th September 2021 · 2 mins read
China Economics Update Property crunch will be followed by lasting decline The root of Evergrande’s troubles – and those of other highly-leveraged developers – is that residential property demand in China is entering an era of sustained decline. Relaxation of regulatory... 15th September 2021 · 5 mins read
China Data Response China Activity & Spending (Aug.) The hit to service activity from last month’s virus outbreak was even larger than we, and other forecasters, had anticipated. The rest of the economy held up better, although the headwinds facing the... 15th September 2021 · 3 mins read
Japan Data Response Japan Machinery Orders (Jul. 2021) The rise in machinery orders in July and optimistic projections for August and September support our view that business investment will rise strongly again across Q3. And private investment should... 15th September 2021 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update Three points on banking sector liquidity Measures by the Reserve Bank to drain banking sector liquidity have caught attention over the past few days. But with liquidity still abundant, interbank rates at the very bottom of the rate corridor... 14th September 2021 · 2 mins read
India Data Response Wholesale Prices (Aug.) Following the weaker-than-expected consumer price inflation data for August released yesterday, headline wholesale price inflation data released today surprised to the upside. But it should resume... 14th September 2021 · 2 mins read
Asset Allocation Update Putting risky asset valuations into context This Update compares the valuations of the twelve different “risky” asset classes that we cover on our Asset Allocation service, both relative to one another and to the yields of “safe” assets, as... 13th September 2021 · 5 mins read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Sep.) The rise in OPEC’s oil output fell well short of its target in August. And given a higher oil demand forecast for 2022, alongside growing external pressure, we think that the risks are tilting towards... 13th September 2021 · 3 mins read
India Data Response Consumer Prices (Aug.) The drop in India’s consumer price inflation in August was driven by a continued fall in food inflation. We expect a broader easing in price pressures to bring headline inflation further below the 6%... 13th September 2021 · 2 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM financial conditions still loose barring LatAm Our financial conditions indices show that conditions remain loose by historic standards in most EMs. The key exception is Latin America, where conditions have tightened sharply this year due to... 13th September 2021 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly More of the same Commodity markets have been relatively quiet over the last few weeks, with many prices trading in a narrow range. There are a few exceptions, most notably the prices of natural gas and coal, which... 10th September 2021 · 5 mins read
