China Data Response Consumer & Producer Prices (Mar.) Consumer price inflation held steady in March but we expect a drop in food price inflation to pull it lower over the coming months. Although inflation is likely to remain in positive territory, a... 10th April 2015 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Will Australian households rescue the economy? The apparent acceleration in consumption growth in the first quarter will boost hopes that, despite the end of the mining boom, the Australian economy will avoid a sharp slowdown. Unfortunately, the... 10th April 2015 · 1 min read
ECB Watch ECB to downplay early taper talk The ECB’s quantitative easing programme has got off to a solid start with the Bank buying the planned quantity of assets and financial markets responding positively. And with the recovery seeming to... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Chart Pack Strong fundamentals boost housing sentiment A favourable economic backdrop and record low mortgage rates have boosted consumer sentiment, and given households the confidence to think about buying a home. With banks now starting to raise... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update USDA Weekly Export Sales (2nd Apr.) The latest US weekly data show a net decline in US soybean export sales as new purchases were offset by a large number of cancelled orders. 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economic Outlook Most of Emerging Asia set for faster growth Most economies in Emerging Asia are likely to record decent growth over the next couple of years. However, with the pace of expansion in the region’s biggest economy, China, set to ease further in... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary’s Sunday trading ban symbolic of reform backsliding The decision taken by the Hungarian government to ban Sunday trading is unlikely to have a major impact on the economy at an aggregate level. But as we explain in this Watch, it may lead to a shift in... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Focus Are property values within sight of their peak? A comparison with previous upswings suggests that commercial property capital values will peak within the next six months. Yet property is not obviously overvalued while occupier fundamentals are both... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Mexico Consumer Prices (Mar.) Inflation in Mexico remained close to the central bank’s 3% target last month and we expect it to remain around there over the next eighteen months. The benign inflation outlook, combined with recent... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update German logistics capital value growth unlikely to outperform Despite decent prospects for German industrial output, logistics capital value growth seems unlikely to outperform the office and retail sectors, or logistics property in other countries. That’s... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Africa Data Response South Africa Mining & Manufacturing Production (Feb.) Data released today show that South African mining and manufacturing production was comparatively strong in February, but we believe that these figures provide a misleadingly optimistic view of the... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update MPC to leave rates on hold for at least another year The MPC left policy unchanged this month against a backdrop of looming deflation. The recent rise in the pound, weakening in the inflation outlook, softer US news and sharper planned government... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Wealth effects in euro-zone and Japan will be small Quantitative easing in the euro-zone and Japan has provided a big boost to equity markets which in turn should bolster household wealth. But barring a major recovery in the housing market, the impact... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is deflation good for the euro-zone after all? The recent bout of negative inflation in the euro-zone appears to have contributed to a modest upturn in economic growth. But it would be premature to conclude that deflation will prove to be a good... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Assessing the impact of a potential nuclear deal with Iran There are many details that still need to be ironed out, but earlier this month Iran and the West moved another step closer to securing an agreement over Tehran’s nuclear programme. As we explain in... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read