UK Housing Market Data Response BBA Mortgage Lending (Jul.) July’s rise in mortgage approvals extends to three months the period over which mortgage market activity has been on the increase. But with the economic recovery hitting the buffers, this is unlikely... 24th August 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q2) Q2’s GDP figures showed that the Norwegian economy expanded at a steady pace and added to evidence that it is less likely to suffer from a “double dip” than some of its European counterparts. Looking... 24th August 2011 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q2 11) Q2’s GDP figures showed that the Norwegian economy expanded at a steady pace and added to evidence that it is less likely to suffer from a “double dip” than some of its European counterparts. Looking... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How bad was Q2 GDP in Thailand and elsewhere? Thailand is the latest country within emerging Asia to have reported weak GDP data for the second quarter. Nonetheless, worries that slower growth in the West has already stalled growth in Asia look... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Libyan regime change to undermine oil prices further The market response today has been muted, but we still think that regime change in Libya could ultimately knock $10 from the price of a barrel of Brent. 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update What next for Libya? The Libyan economy may begin to feel the benefits of ‘regime change’ sooner than many commentators expect. Given the composition of the Transitional National Council (TNC) and Libya’s vast financial... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Delinquencies (Q2) The most worrying thing about the modest rise in the mortgage delinquency rate in the second quarter is that it was due to more homeowners falling behind on their mortgage payments for the first time... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greece's second bail-out deal far from being concluded The dispute over the provision of collateral by Greece to some euro-zone economies in return for a second bail-out, coupled with the private sector’s reluctance to take part in a debt exchange, may... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia: Global uncertainty prompts pause in rate hikes The Central Bank of Colombia’s (BANREP) decision to hold interest rates at 4.5% was prompted by the recent uncertainty in the global economy. Rate hikes may resume once the current market turmoil has... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Will retail spending prove resilient again? One puzzle during the recent recession was the way in which retail sales held up so well relative to overall consumer spending. But we find it hard to justify why retail should continue to prove this... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Thailand's central bank faces a policy dilemma The Bank of Thailand announces its latest interest rate decision on Wednesday. Policymaking has been complicated by global worries intensifying at a time when local fiscal policy looks set to be... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly What will Japan's policymakers do next? Japan’s policymakers have sat on their hands and watched the yen climb to new highs since intervening in foreign exchange markets earlier this month. We expect recent financial market turmoil to be... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly Rising inflation and unemployment add to consumer misery Last week’s flurry of data releases underlined the mounting pressures on households’ finances. These pressures only look set to intensify in the coming months as inflation rises further and... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly House prices vulnerable to swing in "animal spirits" Canadian house prices have formed a bubble and are vulnerable to a sudden loss of investor confidence. As such, we continue to expect prices to fall substantially over the next few years, which will... 23rd August 2011 · 1 min read
