Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Mar.) The slight fall in Egyptian inflation in March to 5.1% y/y leaves the headline rate well below the central bank’s target range which, coupled with the economic hit from the draconian measures to... 9th April 2020 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt, the pound and lessons from the past Egypt’s central bank is intervening to prop up the pound, but the experience from the previous decade is that such efforts ultimately prove futile. If policymakers try to support the pound for an... 8th April 2020 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Coronavirus latest, IMF deals, Egyptian pound The spread of the coronavirus in the MENA region has led to further draconian containment measures being implemented, which will cause severe economic damage. In turn, this has raised the chances of... 26th March 2020 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Feb.) The sharp fall in Egyptian inflation in February to 5.3% y/y puts it well below the lower bound of the central bank’s target range. Coupled with mounting fears over the coronavirus outbreak, this... 10th March 2020 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update CBE to pause easing cycle for a little longer The Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) decision to keep interest rates unchanged last night for a second consecutive meeting suggests that policymakers are more concerned by the recent uptick in inflation... 21st February 2020 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Jan.) The modest rise in Egyptian inflation in January leaves it below the mid-point of the central bank’s target range and, after pausing for breath at the last MPC meeting, we think that policymakers will... 10th February 2020 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Gulf tightening the purse strings Fiscal plans announced across the Gulf over the past month suggest that governments will keep policy tight, a key reason why we think that economic growth will disappoint this year. The Saudi 2020... 29th January 2020 · 14 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: pound strength unlikely to last The Egyptian pound has strengthened further at the start of this year but it is now making exports uncompetitive and, with support from high real interest rates likely to fade, the currency will... 23rd January 2020 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update CBE pauses for breath, but more rate cuts still in store In a surprise move, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) left interest rates on hold yesterday even though policymakers don’t seem to be worried by the recent rise in inflation. We think that the easing... 17th January 2020 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Dec.) The jump in Egyptian inflation last month to 7.1% y/y was largely due to the unwinding of favourable base effects but it means that next week’s interest rate decision will be a much closer call than... 9th January 2020 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Nov.) The rise in Egyptian inflation last month to 3.6% y/y still leaves the headline rate well below the central bank’s target paving the way for further interest rate cuts over the next twelve months or... 10th December 2019 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s easing cycle has further to run The 100bp interest rate cut delivered by Egypt’s central bank today is likely to be followed by further easing in the coming months. While we expect inflation to edge up in the near term, it will... 14th November 2019 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: inflation to stay weak, more rate cuts on the way The decline in Egyptian inflation to a 14-year low of 3.1% y/y in October raises the risk that the central bank lowers interest rates by more than the 100bp that we have pencilled in for Thursday’s... 11th November 2019 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Sep.) The further drop in Egyptian inflation in September to a seven-year low of just 4.8% y/y means that the central bank will press ahead with its easing cycle over the coming months. We now expect a... 10th October 2019 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: weak inflation spurs another aggressive rate cut The Central Bank of Egypt shrugged off the market volatility following recent protests across the country and lowered interest rates by another 100bp, to 13.25%, at today’s meeting. So long as the... 26th September 2019 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: protests and the economic impact Protests in Egypt over the past few days have ignited concerns that the country is on the cusp of another period of political upheaval. Past experience suggests that this would be disruptive for the... 23rd September 2019 · 4 mins read
