Global Economics Update 2018 should be another good year for consumers We estimate that household spending growth in the world’s major economies picked up from 3.1% in 2016 to 3.7% in 2017. In 2018, it is likely to grow at a similarly decent pace to last year, as real... 9th January 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (Nov.) The euro-zone unemployment rate fell for the fourth consecutive month in November, highlighting the continued recovery in the labour market. But this will prompt only a modest pick-up in wage growth. 9th January 2018 · 1 min read
UK Data Response BRC Retail Sales Monitor (Dec.) December’s BRC Retail Sales Monitor suggested that Christmas trading failed to provide much relief to retailers with spending growth broadly in line with its subdued average over the past year, as the... 9th January 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Will Vietnam’s export sector continue to outperform? Exports from Vietnam should continue to grow strongly in the short term, helped by booming foreign direct investment into the manufacturing sector. However, the lack of spillovers from the dynamic... 9th January 2018 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Argentina fixing fiscal mess but wavering on inflation Argentina’s president, Mauricio Macri, has wasted little time in kick-starting his reform agenda following October’s mid-term elections, with a range of fiscal measures announced over the past month... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Businesses shrugging off NAFTA uncertainty The improvement in business sentiment in the fourth quarter of last year, most notably the marked rebound in investment and hiring intentions, suggest that the increased uncertainty around NAFTA isn’t... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Would Italian politicians really pull Italy out of the euro? Italy’s general election in March looks likely to produce a fragmented government with eurosceptic tendencies. We don’t think that it will pull Italy out of the euro-zone, but it may cause yields to... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Romanian tightening cycle to be larger than most expect The Romanian MPC’s hawkish post-meeting press statement, which followed the decision to hike the policy interest rate earlier today, supports our view that monetary policy will be tightened by more... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Chile Consumer Prices (Dec.) The rise in Chilean inflation in the final month of 2017, to 2.3% y/y, was driven largely by an increase in food inflation – core inflation rose only marginally and remained below the central bank’s... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi bonuses to lift growth but raise fears over reform The announcement in Saudi Arabia over the weekend that the government will pay bonuses to civil servants and military personnel means that fiscal policy will be slightly looser this year than had been... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response EC Business & Consumer Survey (Dec.) December’s EC Business and Consumer Survey suggests that the euro-zone economy gained yet more momentum at the end of 2017, but inflation expectations remain low. This supports the ECB’s gradual... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Economic Sentiment Indicators (Dec.) December’s Economic Sentiment Indicators suggest that the pace of GDP growth remained extremely strong in the major economies of Central and Eastern Europe in Q4, at around 5.0-5.5% y/y. 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Halifax House Prices (Dec.) Annual house price growth ended 2017 at 2.7% – broadly in line with our forecast. With house prices very high relative to incomes and interest rates due to rise further this year, we think house price... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Swiss Consumer Prices (Dec.) While Swiss headline inflation was unchanged in December, there was a welcome rise in the core rate. But the big picture is that inflationary pressures remain subdued, so the Swiss National Bank will... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly A cautious start to the year The prices of most commodities trended higher this week, supported by a weaker US dollar. Falling US stocks and heightened geopolitical risk pushed the oil price higher. In contrast, industrial metals... 5th January 2018 · 1 min read
