Japan Economics Update Lending survey indicates moderate recovery in Q3 The economic slowdown following March’s disaster caused loan demand from Japanese households and firms to fall sharply in Q2. According to the latest Senior Loan Officer Survey, demand is expected to... 21st July 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombian rebalancing has further to run On the face of it, there is early hope that the Colombian economy has begun to rebalance away from domestic demand-led and towards export-led manufacturing growth. But with the exchange rate still... 21st July 2011 · 1 min read
UK Data Response MPC Minutes (Jul.) The minutes of July’s MPC meeting suggested that over the past month the Committee has moved even further away from raising interest rates, with most members judging that “recent developments had... 21st July 2011 · 1 min read
US Chart Pack Q2 GDP growth may not be as bad as feared Despite a marked slowdown in consumption growth to less than 1% annualised, it appears that overall GDP growth may actually have picked up a little to 2.3% in the second quarter, from 1.9% in the... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Bank of Canada poised to raise rates? By dropping the qualification in its policy statement this morning that monetary stimulus will only be withdrawn "eventually", the Bank of Canada seems to be posturing to raise rates. Obviously there... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Fiscal woes in the resource-poor countries High energy prices have widened the fiscal gap in the Middle East. In the oil-rich Gulf States, the governments are awash with oil money. Meanwhile, the resource-poor Arab countries are struggling... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Libyan end-game to knock at least $10 off oil prices We continue to expect the price of a barrel of Brent, currently $119, to fall back to $85 by the end of the year. This forecast is based largely on persistent sluggishness in demand, a stronger dollar... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update What next for the Swiss franc? Most of the world’s major “paper” currencies have fallen out of favour. But the Swiss franc is an exception to the rule. It has even outperformed gold since the start of the year. We expect the upward... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update How quickly will remittances to the Philippines grow this year? Growth in remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) to the Philippines has slowed since the 2008-09 global crisis. However, we believe that remittances growth is likely to stabilise rather than... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (Jun.) The 14.6% m/m leap in housing starts in June, to a five-month high of 629,000 from 549,000 in May, is not the start of a significant and sustained surge in homebuilding. Instead, it reflects a rebound... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Last chance saloon for euro-zone policymakers? This week’s crucial summit could provide the last chance for euro-zone policymakers to get a grip on the region’s debt crisis. Anything other than a very decisive response which could be applied not... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Peru’s economy in better shape than current debate suggests There has been a growing debate in recent weeks over the extent to which Peru’s economy has slowed, with some commentators foretelling a collapse in growth. A closer inspection of the latest data... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update E.coli outbreak not the only disinflationary factor Inflation fell sharply in most countries in the region last month, due in large part to a surprise drop in food prices. This appears to have been driven by one-off factors relating to the outbreak of... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Global Economic Outlook Recovery stalls (Q3 11) Global growth has slowed after a strong start to the year. This is partly due to the temporary effects of supply shocks, notably the surge in oil prices and the earthquake in Japan. But even as these... 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW Survey (Jul.) July’s drop in German ZEW investor sentiment highlights fears that the peripheral crisis could soon do some serious damage to the German economy. 20th July 2011 · 1 min read
