UK Data Response Mortgage Lending (Dec.) With the economy now contracting again and further job losses to come, it was perhaps not surprising that the recovery in mortgage approvals seems to have run out of steam. 31st January 2012 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Data Response Lending to commercial property (Dec.) The latest data from the Bank of England confirm that the commercial property lending environment deteriorated markedly in the final stages of last year. Unfortunately, all the signs are that lending... 31st January 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jan.) The continued weakness of broad money and lending growth bolsters the case for the MPC to announce another round of quantitative easing (QE) at February’s meeting. 31st January 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (Dec.) December’s euro-zone unemployment figures revealed a further increase that will add to the downward pressure on consumer spending in the coming months. 31st January 2012 · 1 min read
Capital Daily Surging bond yields in Portugal a sign euro-zone is still in crisis 31st January 2012 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Euro crisis beginning to affect domestic credit The Fed's latest Senior Loan Officer survey revealed that the ongoing crisis in the euro-zone is beginning to have a more marked impact on domestic credit, with foreign-owned banks tightening lending... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Why haven’t UK interest rates fallen as far as elsewhere? During the financial crisis, many countries cut official interest rates to below the 0.5% level seen in the UK. If they can reach this level elsewhere, we do not see why they cannot do so in the UK... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Baltic States: still the poster child for austerity? News that Lithuania’s economy contracted in the final quarter of last year dents the Baltic States’ image as a poster child for austerity as a means of restoring competitiveness and repairing balance... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
US Economics Focus Housing will soon help the economy, but not by much With the downturn in the housing market drawing to a close, housing should soon start to boost economic growth. But as housing now makes up only a small share of the economy, the sector is unlikely to... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Fresh falls in Spanish retail rents lie ahead Over the past year, retail rental values have bucked the downward trend still evident in Spanish office and industrial rental values. But data showing that unemployment surpassed the 5 million mark in... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile’s two-speed economy likely to struggle in 2012 Growing imbalances in the drivers of Chilean growth leave the economy vulnerable to a deterioration of its terms of trade, particularly via falling metals prices, over the year ahead. With this in... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Land Registry Repeat Sales Index (Dec.) Flat house prices at the national level concealed the usual wide variation in regional house price movements in December. However, with unemployment set to rise everywhere, including London, we expect... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Weak growth to continue in the Philippines The Philippines recorded another quarter of weak growth in Q4 due to continued weak export demand. Although the resilience of domestic demand is encouraging, sluggish global demand is likely to weigh... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey (Jan.) & Spanish GDP (Q4) January’s improvement in the EC’s euro-zone business and consumer surveys is something of a relief, but the headline index still points to a renewed recession. 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly How long will the rebound in Asian currencies last? Most Asian currencies have risen strongly so far this year amid a recovery in global risk appetite. However, the rebound is unlikely to last long. We are of the opinion that the euro-zone will slip... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Solid consumption growth sustained this quarter The latest retail sales data indicate that fourth-quarter real consumption grew by over 3% annualised and we think there is a good chance that this strength might be sustained this quarter as well... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
