UK Commercial Property Data Response Commercial property investment (Feb.) The number and value of UK commercial property deals both dropped for the second month running in February. Yet safe haven demand appears strong and investors are increasingly looking beyond the... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Turkey Current Account (Jan.) Turkey’s current account deficit narrowed substantially in January on the back of a fall in imports. But this wasn’t just due to lower energy imports – non-energy imports fell too. This adds to the... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Thailand's rate cut likely to be a one-off The Bank of Thailand (BoT) joined the global shift toward monetary loosening today, cutting its policy rate by 25bp to 1.75%. Looking ahead, we think the BoT will keep rates on hold in the coming... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Machinery Orders (Jan.) Despite a drop in January, machinery orders remain well above their Q4 14 average, and we still think that business investment will start to recover soon. 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Swedish Consumer Prices (Feb. 15) Sweden’s headline inflation rate turned positive in February for the first time in eight months. But deflationary pressures have not disappeared altogether and we continue to think that the Riksbank... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Investors continue to reduce long bets on agriculturals Investor enthusiasm for agricultural commodities waned further over the lastmonth. Indeed, for eight of the commodities we cover and have Commitment ofTraders data, five saw a fall in net-long non... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Why are the public finances not already fixed? If the fiscal squeeze had gone to plan, no more austerity would now be needed. The assumption that the recovery would be strong and tax-friendly was misplaced. The next government should be dealt a... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Assessing the fallout from the EM currency slump Most EM currencies have weakened substantially against the US dollar this year. For a few EMs with large dollar debts, such as Turkey, this could lead to financial strains. And the impact of currency... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Real rates to stay higher in the euro-zone than in US & Japan The ECB started its quantitative easing programme this week and the US Fed is likely to begin tightening policy in June. Nonetheless, we expect real interest rates to remain higher in the euro-zone... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Energy Update How do lower rig counts affect oil production? We expect US oil production to peak in the middle of this year as the backlog of drilled but uncompleted wells is used up. This should help support oil prices, especially in the US, in the second half... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Can commodity prices resist further dollar strength? The prospect of further gains for the US currency remains a major headwind for commodity prices. However, the dollar has already appreciated a long way and, if it continues to climb, much would still... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
India Data Response Current Account (Q4) India’s current account deficit narrowed in Q4 and remains far smaller than in 2013 when the rupee plunged to record lows against the US dollar. With this improvement set to be maintained, there is... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will QE hit the buffers before the job is done? Concerns that the ECB will struggle to find enough willing sellers of assets to implement its quantitative easing programme may be wide of the mark. But limits set by the Bank itself imply little... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Lenders and Administrators Statistics (Q4) Despite a further drop in mortgage rates, banks and building societies have cut back their mortgage lending. That reflects a stricter lending environment, with the share of high loan-to-value and loan... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Why Turkish central bank independence matters The Turkish government’s attacks on the central bank (CBRT) have become increasingly aggressive over the past month, raising fears about the independence of monetary policy and triggering a sharp sell... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
