UK Commercial Property Focus South East offices: poised to outperform? Central London aside, weak economic growth and fragile business confidence are acting as a drag on occupier demand, pushing back a recovery in commercial property markets. South East offices will not... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Contradictory evidence on impact of 7% stamp duty rate Evidence on the impact of the new 7% stamp duty rate on activity in the £2m+ homes market is contradictory. Data from the Land Registry shows that transactions have held up. But agents report a... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India's industrial recovery fails to convince Today’s industrial production data were better than expected, confirming that India’s industry is picking up. But the data also highlight the growing imperative for a faster pace of approvals of... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey's phoney rate cut We expect the Central Bank of Turkey to cut its benchmark one-week repo rate for the first time in four months at next week’s MPC meeting. But the myriad of different tools now deployed by the Bank... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Talk of a US housing bubble is premature We place significant emphasis on valuations in our analysis of residential property markets. So we cannot take issue with those who have recently pointed out that house price gains which are twice the... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor Export recovery loses its shine The recovery of Emerging Market exports has continued in recent months, but forward looking indicators suggest that they will soften over the course of Q2. What’s more, a big divergence remains in the... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
US Data Response Uni. of Mich. Consumer Confidence (Apr.) Coming after a weak retail sales report for March, the sharp drop in April's University of Michigan's index of consumer confidence to a nine-month low of 72.3, from 78.6, is another sign of a slowdown... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
US Data Response Retail Sales & Producer Prices (Mar.) The surprise fall in retail sales in March adds to other evidence that the US economy is experiencing another spring slowdown. But we doubt that the easing in economic growth in the coming quarters... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (Feb.) The small rise in euro-zone industrial production in February suggests that the sector will avoid another steep fall in output in Q1. But there is still no sign that the sector is about to spearhead... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile, Peru to extend long pause on interest rates The central banks of Chile and Peru left their respective policy rates unchanged last night and offered little to suggest that a near-term rate move is on the cards. In the case of Chile, though, it... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Business pullback could not come at worse time Weaker business investment intentions could not come at a worse time for the domestic economy. With housing investment contracting and governments reining in spending, slower business investment... 11th April 2013 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Falls in grain prices to help keep global inflation subdued The recent declines in the prices of US grains and oilseeds have received much less media attention than the surge last summer, but they have now reversed most of those gains. Admittedly, the prices... 11th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African mining rebounds, but still faces headwinds The strong rebound in South African mining output in the early part of 2013 suggests that the sector made a decent contribution to overall GDP growth in Q1. But nevertheless, the sector still faces a... 11th April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Cyprus: The bail-out thickens The dramatic increase in the size of the proposed rescue package for Cyprus both underlines the depth of the problems facing the country and poses further questions over the likely impact of future... 11th April 2013 · 1 min read
China Data Response Lending (Mar.) & FX reserves (Q1) The stronger-than-expected rise in bank lending in March will reinforce concerns that credit growth is on an unsustainable path. Meanwhile, the People’s Bank has resumed its accumulation of foreign... 11th April 2013 · 1 min read
