China Economics Update China’s worries over Trump fade China’s relationship with the US has so far been less fraught than had seemed likely immediately after President Trump’s election victory. Tensions are likely to flare up at some point but the most... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Mexico Industrial Production (Dec.) The small fall in Mexican industrial production in December confirms that the sector broadly stagnated over Q4 as a whole. And the early signs are that that this weakness has persisted in the early... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Labour Force Survey (Jan.) The impressive run of headline employment gains continued this year, with 48,300 jobs added in January, which is further evidence of a meaningful economic recovery in the second half of last year from... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Outlook Time to sound a note of caution Commodity prices continued their strong run in the early weeks of 2017, but we are concerned that investor optimism may fade in the months ahead. Prices have been buoyed by the pick-up in China’s... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly Future looks brighter for manufacturing A robust rise in manufacturing activity at the end of 2016 and in the output balance of the Markit/CIPS manufacturing survey have raised hopes that the sector is getting back onto its feet. Admittedly... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s commodity imports remain robust China’s commodity import volumes jumped in January, despite a further fall in the renminbi vis-à-vis the US dollar. However, the most recent activity data show that the Chinese economy, while still... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Markets’ fears over Le Pen outweigh hopes for Macron Marine Le Pen’s announcement of her radical vision for France, particularly her intentions for an exit from the European Union and the euro, unnerved euro-zone financial markets last week. Her main... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
India Data Response Industrial Production (Dec.) Industrial production growth turned negative again in December. Demonetisation probably played a role in the slowdown, but it is also the case that November’s faster growth was mostly due to one-off... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Outlook Time to refocus on fundamentals Uncertainty and financial market volatility stemming from the Brexit negotiations still pose a risk to property pricing. But, in reality, the Brexit vote has had little, if any, lasting impact on the... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly Industrial Production, Construction & Trade (Dec.) Today’s economic activity data added to other evidence suggesting that the economy maintained a significant amount of momentum at the end of 2016 and implies that GDP growth is becoming more balanced. 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Peru holds interest rates, but rising inflation set to trigger hikes The Central Reserve Bank of Peru’s decision to leave its policy rate on hold at 4.25% was widely expected and, while the outlook for the economy has deteriorated, we still expect rising inflation to... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Industrial Production (Dec.) The decline in French industrial production in December marked a weak end to 2016, echoing falls in a number of other euro-zone countries. But Italian industry put in an unexpectedly strong... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Czech CPI (Jan.) The further rise in Czech inflation last month, to 2.2% y/y, reinforces our view that the koruna cap will be removed in the coming months. We see the MPC meeting on 4th May as the most likely date for... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Norwegian Consumer Prices (Jan.) In January, the Norges Bank’s favoured measure of inflation fell to a 37-month low. We think that it will fall further, prompting the Bank to cut its key policy rate by 25 basis points in the second... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Have property pricing dynamics changed? Over the last eight years, the exceptionally loose monetary policy environment in Europe appears to have driven a change in the dynamics of the relationship between prime office yields, risk-free... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Hong Kong and Singapore: a tale of two housing markets The gradual deflation of what had looked like a housing bubble in Singapore has left the economy in much better shape to cope with rising interest rates. The contrast with Hong Kong, where property... 10th February 2017 · 1 min read
