Commodities Update China's commodity imports boosted by oil A rebound in China’s imports of oil in October flatters the state of underlying commodity demand. The current improvement in economic activity is unlikely to lead to a similar rebound in overall... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Stagnation continues in India An unexpected drop in industrial production in September, and a further fall in exports in October, underline the weakness of the Indian economy. The government continues to forecast an upturn in the... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Emerging market vehicle sales hint at consumer slowdown The latest vehicle sales data suggest that emerging market consumer spending has taken a turn for the worse. Moreover, the fact that vehicle sales growth has outstripped production in Latin America... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Japanese economy plunging into recession Japan’s economy may already be in recession. The sharp fall in Q3 GDP was the first contraction this year but increasingly looks like it will not be the last. We are now expecting a contraction in Q4... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus How the core economies managed before the euro The common perception that the euro-zone’s core economies are inherently dependent on exports and would struggle to grow outside the single currency is misplaced. They all achieved pretty strong... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Slow loan growth no concern given signs of economic recovery The tepid pace of bank lending revealed in figures released today will not be much of a concern to policymakers given the upbeat tone of recent economic data, including October’s double-digit increase... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What should we make of Korea’s strengthening currency? The Korean won has been one of Asia’s strongest-performing currencies this year, which has prompted speculation of a shift in Korea’s exchange rate policy and worries that currency appreciation is... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Are restrictions on home buyers too onerous? Although federal regulatory tightening of mortgage insurance rules and other lending principles have upset housing, we believe the new restrictions on home buying are prudent rather than too onerous... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Capital Daily Stock market weakness likely to persist through year-end 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Focus quickly shifts to fiscal cliff negotiations Some have argued that the election result, which maintained the broad status quo of a divided Congress, was the worst possible outcome for the fiscal cliff negotiations. But as far as the fiscal cliff... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Is Japan’s labour market about to unravel? Improvements in labour market conditions earlier this year came to a halt in Q3 as the economy experienced a sharp decline. With most indicators pointing to a further contraction in Q4, we think... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Greek stay of execution won’t lift the economic gloom We’re throwing in the towel on a Greek euro exit in 2012. But that’s a matter of timing, not a change in our fundamental position on Greece or on the broader debt crisis. We still envisage a limited... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly The shine wears off The Prime Minister may have been getting ahead of himself when he said a few weeks ago that “the good news will keep on coming”. Although Q3’s GDP figure was strong, the more recent official and... 12th November 2012 · 1 min read
UK Markets Chart Pack Investors reassess QE outlook UK government bond yields have recently climbed to their highest levels since May. Fading expectations of a cut in official interest rates and further asset purchases from the Monetary Policy... 9th November 2012 · 1 min read
US Data Response Uni. of Mich. Consumer Confidence (Nov.) The rise in the University of Michigan's measure of consumer confidence to 84.9 in November, from 82.6, appears to have been driven by a combination of the recent drop back in gasoline prices and the... 9th November 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update USDA report should ease fears over grain prices The latest “World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates” published today by the United States Department for Agriculture (USDA) appear to have calmed the markets, and rightly so. In particular... 9th November 2012 · 1 min read
