UK Economics Update Surveys point to significant amount of spare capacity In yesterday’s Inflation Report, the Bank of England highlighted the uncertainties surrounding the amount of spare capacity in the economy. Indeed, the recent stubbornness of UK inflation has led to... 11th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update The pain in Spain remains Q4’s GDP figures confirmed that Spain is one of a dwindling group of economies still in recession. And with its economic imbalances still largely intact, a meaningful recovery remains a distant... 11th February 2010 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Focus Investment to drive the next stage of the recovery The huge amount of spare capacity left by the recession, and other headwinds, means that any pick-up in investment spending in Japan is unlikely to be spectacular. But this does not mean that... 10th February 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update How will a drop in copper prices affect Chile? 10th February 2010 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Easing in credit confined to a handful of countries While there are tentative signs that credit conditions are starting to ease in parts of the region, the improvement has so far been confined to those countries with relatively healthy banking sectors... 10th February 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Bank of England Inflation Report (February) The distinctly dovish tone of the Bank of England’s February Inflation Report begs the question of why the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) did not implement a further extension of its quantitative... 10th February 2010 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Indonesia’s impressive upswing to stay on track Indonesia’s Q4 GDP growth accelerated to 5.4% y/y and all the key indicators point to a further pickup in coming quarters, with domestic demand leading the way. Monetary tightening is imminent, which... 10th February 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response UK Industrial Production (Dec.) December’s UK industrial production figures raised hopes that industry made a stronger contribution to GDP growth in Q4 than previously thought. But that does not alter the big picture of a very... 10th February 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update A last hurrah for mortgage interest rates? Even if official interest rates remain at 0.5% this year as we expect, with lender’s margins under pressure, competition for retail funds still strong and regulatory costs more likely to rise than... 10th February 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update VAT’s the way they like it Further changes to VAT are an appealing option for improving the fiscal position. But by pushing inflation even higher and perhaps limiting the scope for offsetting monetary support, excessive... 9th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What would a Greek bail-out look like? Speculation that a bail-out of Greece may be imminent has moved the focus on to exactly what form a rescue package may take. The precise details of any bail-out might have important implications for... 9th February 2010 · 1 min read
