Europe Economics Update Rising Italian confidence not enough to secure recovery The high level of consumer and business confidence in September added to the recent run of positive data coming from Italy. But strong confidence alone will not be enough to secure a sustained... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s carbon trading to curb coal demand further China’s new national carbon cap-and-trade scheme constitutes yet another blow to the prospects for coal demand and prices. In contrast, lower production of steel, aluminium and some petroleum products... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Land Registry Repeat Sales Index (Aug.) Monthly price growth moderated in August, following a strong showing in July. But the shortage of homes for sale persisted, helping to drive underlying price growth to a 10 month high. 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia raises interest rates, another hike likely by year-end The Central Bank of Colombia’s decision to hike interest rates took many analysts by surprise and demonstrated policymakers’ determination to keep inflation under control. However, with inflation... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Reasons for optimism are few and far between The past month has seen a raft of very bad news from key African economies. New government figures show that growth slowed in Q2 in Ghana and that South Africa’s economy actually contracted. Forward... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update What’s behind the rebound in “core-core” inflation? A closely-watched measure of underlying inflation in Japan has rebounded recently, raising hopes that the Bank of Japan’s easing efforts are finally gaining traction. But most of the rebound in “core... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Europe’s migrant crisis: how might CEE be affected? There are few signs that Europe’s migrant crisis has had much economic impact on Central Eastern Europe (CEE). However, if recent border controls were to become a permanent fixture, the region could... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What effect could the Volkswagen scandal have on European property? The cross-border nature of automotive supply chains means that it is not just Germany that may be affected by the Volkswagen scandal. The Czech Republic also looks exposed. While automotive related... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi Arabia’s FX reserve depletion has further to run The fact that Saudi Arabia is drawing down its foreign exchange reserves should come as little surprise given that the Kingdom is running a current account deficit and also facing sizeable capital... 28th September 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly A mild case of Dutch disease The recent speech by Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz on commodity prices and Canada’s economy attempted, albeit unconvincingly, to play down the significance of the slump in commodity prices to... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Looking for reassurance on China and from the Fed Commodity markets ended the week on a stronger note, helped by comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen . Even though she sent a pretty strong signal that US interest rates are still likely to be hiked... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Precious Metals Update What does the VW scandal mean for PGMs? Last week, Volkswagen (VW), the biggest European car maker, was engulfed in a scandal for using a hidden software to deceive American regulators when measuring emissions from its diesel-engine cars... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
Frontier Markets Wrap Another drop in frontier market currencies Uncertainty over the outlook for monetary policy in the US and renewed concerns about the health of China’s economy are weighing heavily on frontier market currencies. The weakest currency has again... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Fiscal uncertainty back to the top of the agenda This week it will be uncertainty over fiscal policy and a possible Federal government shutdown that dominates the headlines. Congress needs to pass a continuing spending resolution by the end of... 25th September 2015 · 1 min read
