Europe Economics Update Can Portugal push away debt restructuring fears? Portugal’s bail-out has finally been given the green light. While a cash crisis has been avoided, there are reasons to think that Portugal may struggle to push away fears that it will eventually need... 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
US Data Response Industrial Production (Apr.) Industrial production was unchanged in April and manufacturing output fell by 0.4% m/m, largely because of the disruption to motor vehicle production, which is being hampered by parts shortages in the... 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (Apr.) As most of the sharp fall in housing starts in April was due to the tornados that battered the south of the nation last month, homebuilding activity will probably bounce back in May. That said, at a... 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Weak performance outside the core The increasing divergence between the euro-zone’s core and peripheral economies are now clearly evident in the performance of commercial property markets. In contrast to the core, there is no... 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Consumer Prices (Apr.) The good news on inflation did not last for long, with April’s sharp rise more than reversing March’s drop. However, the increase was driven by temporary factors and we still expect inflation to fall... 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China's commodity demand to disappoint Expectations that buoyant Chinese demand will drive commodity prices ever higher have been looking increasingly shaky. For a start, China’s imports of many key commodities have actually been falling... 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW (May) May’s fall in the headline ZEW index adds to evidence that the German economic recovery may be starting to slow. 17th May 2011 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Apr.) The annual growth rate of money, including our measure of the M3 aggregate, continued to accelerate in April. Nevertheless, at a time when T-bill rates have fallen even closer to zero, we suspect this... 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Latest data keeps pressure on Reserve Bank of India Headline inflation fell slightly in April but is likely to rise again in the coming few months. Meanwhile, indicators of activity suggest economic growth in India is still rapid. The upshot is that we... 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Peruvian economy still growing at a red-hot pace March’s activity data indicate that the Peruvian economy continued to grow at a red-hot pace in Q1 and that it is on course to expand by around 7% this year. 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Next move in Hungarian interest rates should be down Today’s decision by the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) to keep interest rates on hold at 6.00% for the fourth consecutive meeting underlines how inflation fears have slipped down policymakers’ list of... 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Russia: where's the oil price boost? The fact that Russian growth slowed in Q1 despite the surge in oil prices suggests that all is not well in Emerging Europe’s largest economy. Growth should accelerate over the second half of the year... 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Sri Lanka's central bank biding its time The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) left its interest rates unchanged today, as was widely anticipated. Nonetheless, policy settings were tightened in April and more rate hikes look only a matter of... 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Survey of Manufacturing (Mar.) March's survey of manufacturers offers some encouraging news in the form of higher sales volumes and a jump in unfilled orders. With autos production operating at lower levels due to parts supply... 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Focus Rental market set to shine Over the next five years the rental market will be the best performing part of the residential housing market, with the multi-family sector doing particularly well. A sustained rise in rents is... 16th May 2011 · 1 min read
