UK Data Response Trade (Feb.) February’s trade deficit came in worse than expected and will re-ignite fears that the strong pound and weakness in demand in the euro-zone is acting as a straightjacket on exporters. However, there... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Outbound FDI won't eclipse inward FDI any time soon Contrary to what is widely believed, China should continue to attract positive net foreign direct investment inflows for the foreseeable future, which should help spur further renminbi appreciation. 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Halifax House Prices (Mar.) House prices according to the Halifax increased by 0.4% during March, pushing underlying growth to a six-month high. With employment at record highs at the same time as mortgage rates are at record... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Is rising food inflation a concern? Inflation is likely to have accelerated in March, in large part due to rising food prices caused by recent unseasonable rains. But weekly data suggest that the majority of the inflation spike may have... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production & Trade (Feb.) German industrial production and trade data for February offered tentative signs that the economy is benefitting from the weaker exchange rate. But the data seem to confirm that growth slowed in Q1... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Mar.) The rise in Egyptian inflation to 11.5% y/y last month was driven almost entirely by a rise in food and utility prices. As a result, we think it’s unlikely to have much impact on monetary policy... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Czech CPI (Mar.) The small rise in Czech inflation last month, to 0.2% y/y, slightly reduces the probability that the National Bank will ease monetary conditions further at next month’s MPC meeting. Nonetheless, with... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Rising financial risks to deter aggressive rate cuts in Korea The Bank of Korea (BoK) held its policy rate at 1.75% today, following a rate cut last month. The slow pace of recovery has raised speculation of further monetary policy loosening, but we think... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update New Zealand - Dollar parity wouldn't be a big problem for New Zealand While a strengthening of the New Zealand dollar to parity against its Australian counterpart would be an important milestone, it would have little adverse economic impact. Indeed, the recent weakening... 9th April 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report Today’s data seem to confirm that last week’s fall in oil production and relatively small increase in crude stocks were more of a blip than a sign that the current upward trend in output and stocks... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Agriculturals continue to lag Although agricultural commodity prices have shown a bit of strength in recent weeks, they remain the poor cousin to other commodity groups. Indeed, while the S&P GSCI agriculture index has risen by 2%... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Recovery prospects clouded by Greece Recent indicators have brought signs of a renewed recovery in the euro-zone economy, reflecting the beneficial effects of lower oil prices and the decline in the euro exchange rate. But the picture... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Chart Pack Global growth to recover after weak Q1 For a second successive year, global GDP growth dropped sharply in Q1 due to a slowdown in the US and China. But business surveys, which may be a better gauge of the underlying health of the economy... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Chart Pack Home sales will continue to strengthen Following the weather-related weakness at the start of the year, new home sales surged 7.8% m/m to a seven-year high in February. Existing sales rebounded by 1.2% m/m, despite another large drop in... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Indonesia Tin Exports (Mar. 15) Indonesia’s tin exports rose strongly in March, but we expect lower volumes in coming months owing to a self-imposed export quota. This will be one factor supporting our forecast that tin prices will... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
