UK Data Response Industrial Production, Construction & Trade (Dec.) The deluge of hard data for December provides further evidence that it was the domestic demand and the services sector that drove the pick-up in growth in Q4. However, temporary distortions mean that... 9th February 2018 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly Philippines: Will manufacturing continue to outperform? The manufacturing industry in the Philippines has been a key driver of economic growth in recent years. Although the sector should continue to grow strongly in the near term, the medium-term outlook... 9th February 2018 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Market turmoil won’t derail expansion The recent sell-off on the stock market would have to continue for much longer before it started to have a major effect on consumer spending in Japan. And with the yen barely changed, the impact on... 9th February 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Norway GDP (Q4) & CPI (Jan.) Norway’s mainland GDP recorded another strong expansion in Q4, rounding off a pretty good year for the economy. However, inflation slowed sharply in January, highlighting that price pressures remain... 9th February 2018 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly An oasis of record low interest rates If global equity markets are fearing higher interest rates, as this week’s fall suggest, then Australia and New Zealand offer something of an oasis as both the RBA and RBNZ dropped some heavy hints... 9th February 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Activity surveys strong as equities fall While equity markets in the euro-zone have recently declined alongside those in the US, activity surveys continue to paint a very healthy picture of the economy. Indeed, the euro-zone Composite PMI... 8th February 2018 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Economy Watchers Survey (Jan.) The slump in the Economy Watchers Survey in January probably reflects cold winter weather and we wouldn’t read too much into it. 8th February 2018 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus How much longer will the consumer squeeze last? 2017 was a fairly dismal year for consumers. With prices rising more quickly than wages, consumer spending growth has halved since 2016. But is the worst of the squeeze now behind us, or is there... 7th February 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production (Dec.) December’s fall in German industrial production came as no surprise after a surge in November and it is very unlikely to mark the start of a downward trend. We still see German GDP rising by about 2.7... 7th February 2018 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Economy loses some pace at the start of 2018 The survey evidence released so far paints a pretty downbeat picture for growth at the start of the year. Indeed, falls in the manufacturing, construction and services sector PMI left the all-sector... 6th February 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update CEE: fiscal plans point to diverging growth prospects The widening of budget deficits in Hungary and Romania means that the loose fiscal policy pursued in recent years is set to come to an end in 2018. Growth is likely to slow (sharply in the case of... 6th February 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Swedish Private Production (Dec.) Despite falling in December, Swedish private production growth accelerated over Q4. With the economy’s strong performance causing inflationary pressures to build, the Riksbank remains on track to... 6th February 2018 · 1 min read
UK Data Response BRC Retail Sales Monitor (Jan.) January’s BRC Retail Sales Monitor suggests that high-street spending growth maintained a steady pace at the start of 2018. But with inflation set to fall back this year, easing the squeeze on real... 6th February 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s gas sector experiencing a renaissance Last week, Egypt’s President al-Sisi inaugurated the Zohr gas field which, combined with the onset of production from a number of other fields, will provide a sizeable boost to GDP growth over the... 6th February 2018 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Retail Sales & International Trade (Dec.) The fall in retail sales and the deterioration in the international trade balance in December probably won’t ease the current jitters in the financial markets, but the figures aren’t as bad as they... 6th February 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Dec.) & Final PMIs (Jan.) December’s fall in euro-zone retail sales followed a sharp rise in November and the high level of consumer confidence suggests that sales growth should soon pick up. Meanwhile, the final PMI for... 5th February 2018 · 1 min read
