Global Economics Update World trade recovery to weaken in 2011-12 The latest CPB Trade Monitor shows global trade picked up in August, but that the pace of recovery has already slowed sharply this year. We believe trade growth will ease further in coming months and... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Renminbi gains likely to fade (Oct 10) The renminbi has risen more than 2% against the dollar since the beginning of September. The US Treasury’s decision to defer publication of its currency report and the upcoming G20 summit will... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swedish Riksbank hikes rates and signals more to come Despite the krona’s recent strength, the Swedish Riksbank raised interest rates for the third time in four months. Although further hikes are inevitable, we expect the pace of tightening to ease... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Bank of Japan Watch Easing bias in place for the foreseeable future The Bank of Japan’s Policy Board meets on Thursday and will almost certainly forecast that inflation will remain well below the new informal target of 1% until at least 2012. This does not necessarily... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
US Data Response Cons. Confidence (Oct.) & House Prices (Aug.) The rebound in equity prices has started to boost consumer confidence, but further gains could be limited by a renewed slide in house prices. Households are unlikely to be in the mood to spend for... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update The Philippines' debt rating upgrade looks close All of the three major ratings agencies have recently announced that the Philippines’ sovereign foreign debt is under review for possible upgrade. We expect that at least one of the three will upgrade... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Central Bank of Turkey turns even more dovish The outlook for Turkey remains amongst the best in the region, but policymakers at the central bank (CBRT) are still in no mood to raise interest rates. 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Singapore adjusts to more normal and sustainable growth Industrial production data released today in Singapore surprised on the upside and suggests that Q3 GDP will be revised to show a less severe drop when new figures are published in November. The... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Swedish Riksbank hikes rates and signals more to come Despite the krona’s recent strength, the Swedish Riksbank raised interest rates for the third time in four months. Although further hikes are inevitable, we expect the pace of tightening to ease... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Preliminary GDP (Q3) The unexpectedly strong growth in the UK economy in Q3 is a welcome surprise and will probably delay a further bout of quantitative easing. But we still expect growth to slow sharply next year as the... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus Can Colombia win its currency war? The recent rapid appreciation of the Colombian peso bears all the hallmarks of so-called ‘Dutch Disease’. But while policymakers are rightly concerned about the implications for the competitiveness of... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Is China changing course? The People’s Bank (PBC) delivered a jolt to global markets when it unexpectedly raised interest rates last week. Never mind that the small increase will have a negligible impact on China’s economy... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read
US Chart Pack Moving closer to deflation The US economy moved a bit closer to deflation in September, when core consumer prices were unchanged for the second month in a row and the annual growth rate fell to a 49-year low of just 0.8%. (See... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Czech occupier demand still under pressure October’s fall in economic sentiment in the Czech Republic suggests that a recovery in occupier demand for commercial property is not yet imminent. Indeed, rental value prospects for office, retail or... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read