Emerging Europe Rapid Response Romania Interest Rate Announcement (Feb.) The National Bank of Romania left its policy rate on hold again today, at 6.50%, and despite the economy falling into recession at the end of last year, we think a return to monetary easing is still... 17th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Global Economics Focus US still tops AI index, but China surges up the rankings We have updated our proprietary AI Economic Impact Index, which ranks major economies according to their ability to realise the long-run benefits of AI. The US still leads. The Asian tigers and UK... 17th February 2026 · 16 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Valuation Monitor Europe Commercial Property Valuation Monitor (Q1 2026) Commercial property valuations held steady in Q4, with falling equity dividend yields offsetting rising government bond yields. Looking ahead, falls in western European government bond yields this... 17th February 2026 · 0 mins read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK Labour Market (Dec./Jan. 2026) The lack of green shoots of recovery in the labour market and further fall in wage growth supports the idea that the Bank of England has at least a couple more interest rate cuts in its locker, with... 17th February 2026 · 3 mins read
Emerging Europe Rapid Response Israel GDP (Q4) The slowdown in Israeli GDP growth in Q4, to 4.0% q/q annualised, was driven by weakness in domestic demand. But we think domestic demand will rebound this year. And provided there isn’t a renewed... 16th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Swiss Flash GDP (Q4 2025) The 0.2% q/q rise in sporting event adjusted GDP in Q4 was a bit smaller than we expected (+0.5%). This may be partly because the 39% tariff imposed on Switzerland by the US was only reduced to 15%... 16th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Commodities Weekly EU carbon market rocked by politics; volatile “safe havens” EU carbon prices fell sharply this week on the back of calls by political and industry leaders to water down the EU Emissions Trading System. As we’ve highlighted before, this is a risk that could... 13th February 2026 · 4 mins read
UK Economics Weekly What has the government ever done for us? The government has been supporting both economic and employment growth over the last year, while private sector activity has been weak and private sector employment has fallen. But this isn't the... 13th February 2026 · 10 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Bundesbank embracing joint borrowing? Comments by Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel this week suggest the German central bank has abandoned its long-standing opposition to EU joint borrowing. But while we might see some more jointly... 13th February 2026 · 7 mins read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone productivity to remain slow Data released this morning confirm that euro-zone productivity growth remained sluggish last year. While productivity is already benefitting from AI in the US, we expect it to stay slow in the euro... 13th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Emerging Europe Rapid Response Russia Interest Rate Announcement (Feb.) 13th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Emerging Europe Economics Weekly Ukrainian elections? Tisza manifesto, Romania GDP Reports this week suggest that Ukraine has started to plan for elections and a referendum on a peace agreement, but most opinion polls suggest Ukrainians won't be supportive of an agreement that cedes... 13th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Swiss CPI (January) Swiss inflation remained at 0.1% in January and we expect it to undershoot the consensus forecast and stay around zero for the rest of the year. Combined with the strength of the franc, we think this... 13th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Global Markets Focus Can EM financial market outperformance continue? After a broad‑based rally in Emerging Markets (EM) assets since the beginning of last year, we think that the scope for outsized returns is now limited to only a few corners of the market. We expect... 12th February 2026 · 13 mins read
China Economics Update Can China’s trade surplus rise further? China’s goods trade surplus can’t increase indefinitely. But there’s little sign that policy shifts – either within China or in its trading partners – will prevent the surplus from widening in the... 12th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Softer data point to weaker retail revival in the euro-zone The data for euro-zone retail rents have been notably weaker since mid-2025. Given this and the fragile economic backdrop, we think that any retail recovery over the next year or more will now be... 12th February 2026 · 3 mins read
