Africa Economics Update South African tightening cycle to remain gradual Having raised interest rates by 25bp today on account of rising inflation, it is clear that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is in the midst of a gradual tightening cycle. Further rate hikes are... 17th July 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: solid but unspectacular outlook for retailers Amid the recent sharp contractions in output from South Africa’s manufacturing and mining sectors, the better-than-expected performance from the retail sector comes as welcome news. But given that... 16th July 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update A look ahead to the Nigerian elections With President Goodluck Jonathan soon expected to announce his bid to run for another term in office, attention is quickly turning to Nigeria’s general election, which is now just over six months away... 15th July 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Tunisia: challenges remain but outlook is brightening Tunisia’s economy has faced a difficult few years since the country’s revolution in 2011. But assuming that upcoming elections pass smoothly, a return to some form of political stability should lay... 14th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Private sector debt remains a concern in some EMs The legacy of the last decade’s sharp rise in private sector debt has kept credit conditions tight and domestic demand weak across a number of EMs over the past few years. And while some of them have... 11th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Trade Monitor EM export growth picks up, but reasons for caution Emerging Market export growth strengthened a little in May and may have accelerated further last month. Even so, the latest country-level trade figures have fallen short of expectations, and suggest... 10th July 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Interest rate hikes alone won’t solve Ghana’s economic woes Slow progress in tackling the enormous twin budget and current account deficits means that today’s decision from the Bank of Ghana to hike interest rates is unlikely to curb the sharp depreciation in... 9th July 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Modest interest rate hikes in Kenya still on the cards Interest rates in Kenya were kept on hold at 8.5% today but, given the country’s large current account deficit and the fact that inflation is likely to rise above the Central Bank’s (CBK’s) target... 8th July 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s subsidy cuts a good first step but still more to be done The package of energy subsidy cuts unveiled by the Egyptian government over the weekend is a positive first step towards tackling the country’s gaping budget deficit. Further reforms will be needed to... 7th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update PMIs point to further rebound in EM manufacturing The latest batch of emerging market (EM) PMIs suggests that the rebound in EM manufacturing gatheredpace in June. The best performers are still in Asia and Central Europe, as well as Mexico, but there... 4th July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economic Outlook Crisis fears fade but rebound remains elusive Fears of an EM-wide crisis have receded and the outlook for smaller EM manufacturers is brightening. But structural problems will continue to hold back the largest emerging economies even if, as seems... 3rd July 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Financial Risk Monitor Risks remain despite recent calm Financial markets in the emerging world have rallied in the past quarter as fears about the impact of Fed tapering and a hard landing in China have eased. But while the latest Capital Economics Risk... 1st July 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: growth picks up in Q1 as investment rebounds Q1 GDP data published earlier today showed that Egypt’s economy has continued its gradual recovery from last summer’s “second revolution”. And there were some encouraging signs that easing political... 30th June 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor Growth in the BRICs remains disappointing Our Tracker suggests that GDP in the emerging world, in aggregate, has expanded by around 4.5% y/y in recent months which is in line with Q1’s outturn. Some of the more open EM economies have gathered... 30th June 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Five priorities for Egypt’s new government With Egypt’s presidential election now out of the way, policymakers’ attention has turned to reviving the struggling economy. In this Focus, we outline five areas which we think need to be addressed... 26th June 2014 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Zambia turns to the IMF – could Ghana follow suit? As the tailwinds from the past decade’s commodity boom fade, several economies in Africa are losing their shine. Zambia remains the focus of attention – faced with widening twin budget and current... 26th June 2014 · 1 min read
