Energy Watch Can OPEC keep prices from falling further? The next meeting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), on 27 th November, should be the most interesting since the change from individual quotas to a group target in early... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Capital Daily What would further yen weakness mean for other Asian currencies? 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Oct.) The growth rate of broad money has eased, as the Fed has wound down its asset purchases and expanded its reverse repo and term deposit facilities. As the Fed expands the use of those liquidity... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update How would QE in the euro-zone affect the rest of the world? If and when the ECB implements “full-blown QE”, there may be some positive spillovers for the rest of the world, but they would not be large. Countries elsewhere in Europe would benefit most from... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Equities surge to record highs India’s financial markets have performed well over the past month. Bond yields have fallen, while the rupee has remained stable against the US$. But the big story has been in equity markets, which... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Will the shortage of homes for sale persist? According to Rightmove, the number of homes that estate agents had for sale in November was at a record low for this time of year. However, with new home completions expected to show the first signs... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update How implausible is a Russian government debt default? The recent fall in oil prices, coupled with the drop in the ruble, has revived memories of 1998 in Russia, when similar developments culminated in a government debt default. The state of Russia’s... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Debt still a drag on Dutch household spending The improvement in Dutch consumer confidence and upturn in the housing market suggest that the near stagnation of consumer spending in Q3 need not be a sign of things to come. But continued fiscal... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus Can we trust Brazil’s fiscal figures? The official data published by the Brazilian authorities give a false impression of the country’s fiscal health. We estimate that various accounting tricks have helped to narrow the reported... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Where next for interest rates in Indonesia? Today’s 25 basis point rate hike by Bank Indonesia (BI) is a direct response to yesterday’s government decision to hike subsidised fuel prices. While we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of another... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update What impact will the delay in the sales tax hike have? The direct impact of Prime Minister Abe’s decision to delay next year’s sales tax hike is to boost the outlook for growth and also for underlying inflation, though headline inflation will of course be... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Chile GDP & Current Acc. (Q3) Annual GDP growth in Chile dropped to a five-year low in Q3, but on a quarterly basis growth edged up a little. We expect a further, albeit gradual, recovery over the coming quarters. Meanwhile, the... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW Survey (Nov.) November’s rise in German ZEW investor sentiment came as a modest relief after the recent gloomy news on the euro-zone. But the index has not been very reliable in the past and it remains consistent... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Consumer Prices & Producer Prices (Oct.) The slight rise in CPI inflation in October should be a blip in its downward trend. Indeed, falling import and commodity prices look set to provide timely support to real incomes at a time when other... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Australia-China FTA will help rebalance Australia’s economy Australia signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with China yesterday that will give its exporters a surprising amount of access to China’s market. The biggest opportunities lie in the agriculture and... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read