Asia Economics Update Korean rates kept on hold, but cut likely before year-end The Bank of Korea (BoK) kept its main policy rate on hold at 2.5% today, as expected. Nevertheless, with inflation set to remain weak and economic growth likely to stay lacklustre, we have pencilled... 11th July 2013 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s commodity imports remain subdued China’s commodity imports were stronger than overall trade in June, but were still weak in the first half of 2013 overall. What’s more, China is shifting to a lower and less commodity-intensive growth... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
EM Markets Chart Pack Some tentative signs of stabilisation Yields of dollar-denominated emerging market government bonds have surged since late May, reflecting increases in both underlying US Treasury yields and credit spreads. But while Treasury yields have... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Energy Watch Ample supply to weigh again on oil prices Oil prices have been lifted again by hopes of stronger demand and fears of disruption in the Middle East, but we do not expect these supports to be sustained. Ample supply against a backdrop of still... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Chart Pack Spike in mortgage rates not derailing recovery The benchmark 30-year mortgage rate has risen from 3.6% two months ago to 4.7% last week. The effect on remortgaging volumes has been considerable – applications for remortgaging have halved in the... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Bank of Canada Watch New Governor may take bold step forward Despite stronger economic data, there are good reasons to expect a more supportive policy statement next week. Although the new Governor Stephen Poloz has said nothing recently that indicates the Bank... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update China’s slowdown: which EMs are most exposed? Last week we published for the first time our forecasts for 2015 GDP growth in China, which put us right at the bottom end of consensus expectations. For the rest of the emerging world, the effects of... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Norwegian rate cut still likely despite FX depreciation We have long argued that the strength of the Norwegian krone would push the Norges Bank into further monetary easing. While the currency’s recent sell-off might ease pressure on the Bank somewhat, we... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus Is Emerging Europe doomed to lag behind? There are encouraging signs that the slowdown in Emerging Europe has bottomed out in recent months and we think growth should strengthen over the second half of this year. The recovery will remain... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Confidence in “Abenomics” still high, but waning The fall in consumer confidence in June suggests that the Abe government’s honeymoon period with the public is coming to an end. Sentiment remains at relatively high levels and could pick up again in... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
China Data Response China’s commodity imports remain subdued China’s commodity imports were stronger than overall trade in June, but were still weak in the first half of 2013 overall. What’s more, China is shifting to a lower and less commodity-intensive growth... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Export slump points to faltering demand China’s exporters in June had their worst single month since the depths of the financial crisis. Efforts to crack down on illicit cross-border capital flows may have played a large part, but the... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Update Prospects for South East offices still look relatively good One “big call” that has been part of our forecasts for some time now is that South East offices will be amongst the best performing segments over the next year or two. To be fair, rents and capital... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update No more cuts ahead The Bank of Thailand (BoT) kept its policy rate at 2.50% at its meeting today. We believe the central bank’s easing cycle has come to an end, though subdued economic activity means rate hikes do not... 10th July 2013 · 1 min read
Capital Daily Earnings are unlikely to provide a boost to the US stock market 10th July 2013 · 1 min read