Emerging Europe Economics Update Policymakers have little room for manoeuvre This week’s dismal first quarter GDP data will sharpen the debate over whether policymakers in Emerging Europe should pursue austerity or focus on growth. But in reality, while there is scope for one... 17th May 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Greek exit risks revisited With a few notable exceptions, Emerging Europe’s direct exposure to Greece is small. But the contagion from a disorderly Greek exit from the euro-zone would have disastrous consequences for the region... 15th May 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey’s rebalancing more difficult from now on Today’s balance of payments data from Turkey show that the current account deficit continued to narrow in March. It now looks like the economy is around half way through the rebalancing needed to... 11th May 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Q1 GDP data should impress – but can it last? The raft of Q1 GDP data due to be released over the coming weeks will confirm that, having been on the brink of a crisis towards the end of last year, most economies in Emerging Europe have since... 10th May 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update RICS Global Survey too upbeat on Polish and Czech rental values Last week’s Q1 2012 RICS Global Survey revealed a divergence in surveyors’ expectations for commercial property rental growth in Emerging Europe. We agree that the outlook is brightest in Russia and... 10th May 2012 · 1 min read
Growth to disappoint as the euro-zone crisis drags on The euro-zone economy is heading back into recession. And if we are right that the euro-zone is not sustainable in its current form, the downturn will extend into 2013 and eventually encompass all... 30th April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack Markets hit by fresh euro concerns Financial markets across Emerging Europe have been hit by fresh concerns about the euro-zone debt crisis in recent weeks. So far at least, the sell-off in the region’s markets has not been as dramatic... 26th April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Euro-zone crisis still the big risk for region’s banks Our latest Banking Heat Map paints a mixed picture: in some countries (notably Hungary and the Baltic States) credit continues to shrink, in others (Turkey) a boom in lending over the past year or so... 17th April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Hungary’s fiscal woes an obstacle to EU-IMF deal Fresh concerns about the Hungarian government’s willingness to accept the conditions for help from the EU and IMF have led to renewed tensions in its financial markets. Attention has focused on... 16th April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Core inflation weakens in Eastern Europe Headline inflation remains above-target in most of Emerging Europe. But inflation fell in several countries last month while core price pressures are subdued everywhere apart from Turkey. 13th April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkish rebalancing: so far, so good but much further to go February’s current account data show that the rebalancing of the Turkish economy is progressing more smoothly than we had feared. At its current rate of progress, it will still take another 18 months... 11th April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Evaluating Hungary’s Early FX Repayment Scheme The introduction of Hungary’s early FX mortgage repayment scheme last September was one in a chain of events that severely dented market confidence in local policymaking and sent the economy to the... 5th April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Net exports boost Turkish growth The deceleration of the Turkish economy in Q4 was not as bad as we had feared. However, the strength of net exports masked a much sharper slowdown in domestic demand – a process which has much further... 2nd April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Region stabilising, but Q1 growth still lacklustre The manufacturing PMIs for March add to recent data suggesting that, while conditions in Emerging Europe are slowly improving, growth in Q1 of this year was still pretty lacklustre. The sharp jump in... 2nd April 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack Market rally loses its shine The rally in financial markets since the start of the year has lost some steam in recent weeks. Most stock markets have fallen by around 2-3% since the start of the month and most currencies lost a... 28th March 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Turkey and Hungary hamstrung by the markets Central banks in both Hungary and Turkey kept interest rates unchanged today as the recent increase in market tensions snuffed out any hope of a shift towards looser policy. We expect the bias towards... 27th March 2012 · 1 min read