International Trade (Mar.) Business closures from the middle of the month contributed to the sharp falls in trade in March. As many manufacturers remained closed for the whole of April and oil prices fell even further, exports... 5th May 2020 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea Trade (Apr.) Korean export values fell sharply in April and with global demand collapsing, trade is likely to remain very weak. Indeed, we wouldn’t be surprised if the May data worsened further still. 1st May 2020 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi balance sheet, curfews easing, Lebanon spat Figures published over the past week have provided the first signs of the hit to Saudi Arabia’s from lower oil prices; but we remain comfortable with our view that the dollar peg will remain intact... 30th April 2020 · 5 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Chart Pack Easing lockdowns will boost growth The strict lockdowns have resulted in a massive drop in demand, but they have also been successful at ‘flattening the curve’ or reducing the number of new daily cases of Covid-19 in both countries... 30th April 2020 · 10 mins read
Global Trade Monitor A weak start to what will be a dreadful year for world trade Whilst the CPB world trade data showed another small drop in February, with lockdowns taking effect across much of the world in March, we expect much sharper falls in the coming months. In total, we... 24th April 2020 · 4 mins read
India Chart Pack Shadow banking woes deepen Measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus will increase strains among traditional banks, but the shadow banking sector – still reeling from a large-scale default 18 months ago – is likely to... 22nd April 2020 · 9 mins read
Asia Data Response Korea Trade (1st – 20th Apr.) Korean trade data for the first 20 days of April suggest that slumping external demand is now weighing heavily on Korean exports. 21st April 2020 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economic Outlook Output to fall the most since Great Depression The restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus will result in GDP falling at a double-digit rate in Australia and New Zealand in Q2. While activity will bounce back over the coming... 20th April 2020 · 20 mins read
Japan Data Response External Trade (Mar.) Exports fell sharply in March and are set to plummet this quarter as economic activity in most of Japan’s major trading partners has collapsed. 20th April 2020 · 2 mins read
Japan Chart Pack New cases not exploding but economic hit still huge A second wave of virus cases driven by rising infections in Tokyo and Osaka has triggered a major shift in economic behaviour. And while new cases in the two lynchpins of the Japanese economy have... 17th April 2020 · 11 mins read
Asia Economics Update Will a drop in remittances cause further pain? The scale of job losses and falls in incomes caused by coronavirus containment measures across the world – but particularly in the US and the Gulf – is likely to weigh heavily on remittance inflows... 16th April 2020 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Trade data highlight collapse in demand The collapse in both exports and imports in March highlights the extreme weakness of external and domestic demand. What’s more, the worst is yet to come as lockdowns to contain the spread of the... 16th April 2020 · 2 mins read
Commodities Update China commodity trade not out of the woods yet After collapsing in January and February, China’s commodity exports stabilised last month. But with economic activity outside China now in the doldrums, this is unlikely to last. Meanwhile, China’s... 14th April 2020 · 2 mins read
China Data Response Trade (Mar.) Shipments picked up last month as factories re-opened and domestic demand began to recover. But with economic activity in the rest of the world now collapsing, the worst is still to come for China’s... 14th April 2020 · 2 mins read
UK Data Response Monthly GDP & International Trade (Feb.) The 0.1% m/m fall in GDP in February will be the last figure that looks anything like “normal” for a while as the coronavirus lockdown will mean that in March and April GDP will fall at a speed and... 9th April 2020 · 3 mins read
Japan Economic Outlook Output to fall more than during global financial crisis Lockdowns will soon be imposed across much of Japan, triggering a decline of more than 10% in economic activity this quarter. The government’s latest fiscal package is intended to help firms stay... 8th April 2020 · 19 mins read
