Africa Chart Pack Nigeria remains the outperformer Sub-Saharan Africa’s three major economies – South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya – have experienced mixed fortunes in the second half of this year. Early estimates of Q3 GDP for Nigeria suggest that the... 30th November 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update External financing continues to trouble resource-poor countries Talks between Egypt and the IMF this month have focused attention back onto the external financing requirements of the region’s resource-poor economies. But so long as their oil-rich neighbours... 6th November 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Middle East Markets Monitor (Oct.) The arrival of an IMF delegation in Egypt and hopes that a deal will soon be concluded have supported the local equity and bond markets over the past few months. Yet, this isn’t the first time that a... 31st October 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Inflationary pressures easing in the Gulf Recent activity data provide further evidence that the Gulf economies are slowing. The good news is that inflationary pressures are easing at the same time. This will boost households’ real incomes... 25th October 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update A fall in commodity prices will bring some relief to Morocco Morocco’s current account deficit has been pushed up to a 27-year high by a combination of weaker export demand from the euro-zone and the higher cost of commodity imports. Nonetheless, an IMF funding... 16th October 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update A fall in commodity prices will bring some relief to Morocco Morocco’s current account deficit has been pushed up to a 27-year high by a combination of weaker export demand from the euro-zone and the higher cost of commodity imports. Nonetheless, an IMF funding... 16th October 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Growth holding up amid global headwinds The economies of sub-Saharan Africa have so far proved resilient in the face of mounting global headwinds. Q2 GDP data released over the past month have shown a pick-up in growth in several of the... 26th September 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Positive medium-term outlook despite risks The ongoing unrest in South Africa’s mining sector has led many to question the medium-term economic outlook for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but we still believe the region has huge growth potential. In... 13th September 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update IMF approves funding for Morocco and Jordan The decision by the IMF to approve funding for Morocco and Jordan will reduce the risks of a balance of payments crisis in the immediate term. But both economies remain fragile. While Morocco is... 6th August 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Oil-poor countries could still outperform in the long term The economic prospects for some of the resource-poor Arab countries are brighter than their current conditions suggest. Although political transitions are proving difficult, we still think that they... 28th June 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Oil prices in freefall Fears for the health of the global economy have sent Brent crude prices down by more than $30 per barrel in the past month, raising fresh concerns over the sustainability of the recent fiscal packages... 22nd June 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Middle East Markets Monitor (Jun.) The escalation in the euro-zone crisis and recent falls in the oil price have weighed heavily on the Arab region’s equity markets over the past month. Indeed, even if Dubai and Qatar are upgraded to... 14th June 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Banks in the Gulf are well placed to weather the storm One of the main channels through which the euro-zone debt crisis could affect the oil-rich Gulf economies is via a drop in foreign capital inflows due to heightened global risk aversion. In particular... 13th June 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economic Outlook Euro crisis clouds the outlook The combination of a deep recession in the euro-zone and the Arab world’s own political turmoil will act as a drag on the region’s economies in the near term. The North African countries are likely to... 7th June 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update How will troubles in the euro-zone affect the Arab region? The primary channels through which a recession in the euro-zone will impact the Arab region are a deterioration in world trade, lower remittances, a drop in capital flows and falls in commodity prices... 7th June 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Egypt’s elections add to vulnerabilities Early results from the first round of Egypt’s presidential election appear to have polarised society, pitting Islamists against secularists, and revolutionaries against the old guard. The outcome... 28th May 2012 · 1 min read