India Economics Update Revisiting the impact of falling oil prices As India is one of the world’s largest net importers of oil, the continued slide in global oil prices should ensure that the improvement in the current account position is sustained. Domestically, the... 15th January 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Warning signs from Colombia’s current account The widening of Colombia’s current account deficit in recent months is a major cause for concern and a key factor behind our below-consensus view that growth will slow further in 2016. 14th January 2016 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly China’s commodity imports end 2015 on a strong note China’s imports of major commodities in volume terms rose in December. Of course, low prices probably encouraged some buying, but it also seems likely that policy support, including higher... 13th January 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Growth to disappoint as consumer recovery slows While the euro-zone economy ended last year with some momentum, expectations of a further acceleration in growth in 2016 will be disappointed. The boost to consumer spending from the decline in oil... 13th January 2016 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Another look at China’s trade data The latest trade data are a challenge to those who believe that China’s export sector needs renminbi depreciation to compete or that China’s economy is continuing to slow. 13th January 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: devaluation and tourism troubles spell slowdown in 2016 The latest Egyptian economic data, on the face of it, show that the economy held up well in 2015, but the underlying picture is actually pretty weak. With the tourism sector in the midst of a fresh... 13th January 2016 · 1 min read
China Data Response Trade (Dec.) China’s trade data for December support our view that, despite the turmoil in Chinese financial markets, there has not been a major deterioration in its economy in recent months. Meanwhile, another... 13th January 2016 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Current Account (Nov.) The fall in the current account surplus in November should be followed by a rebound around the turn of the year as the latest fall in crude oil prices has yet to fully feed through to petroleum... 12th January 2016 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Will lower oil prices ever become a net positive? The magnitude and duration of the slump in oil prices has far exceeded what we originally expected and the longer it persists, the harder it is to argue that decline will ever be a net positive for... 11th January 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economic Outlook Crisis or recovery: what next for emerging economies? Many parts of the emerging world are facing a tough year in 2016. But the outlook is not as uniformly bleak as many assume and some important emerging economies could spring positive surprises. 11th January 2016 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Turkey Current Account (Nov.) Turkey’s balance of payments data for November showed that exports remained weak. But, on a more positive note, the current account deficit continued to narrow and the figures also indicated that the... 11th January 2016 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update How worried should we be about the renminbi? In our view, China is likely to keep its currency broadly stable in trade-weighted terms in the coming months. However, if there were a large, across-the-board devaluation of the renminbi the fallout... 8th January 2016 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Trade (Nov.) November’s improved trade figures are unlikely to be sufficient for the external sector to support the economy in Q4. And further ahead, the economic recovery looks set to remain reliant on domestic... 8th January 2016 · 1 min read
Global Economics Chart Pack Renewed worries about China look overdone Concerns about China’s economic prospects have rattled investors in the past few days. However, we think China’s economy will pick up in the coming months. Overall, the latest economic data do not... 7th January 2016 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Australia International Trade & Building Approvals (Nov.) November’s international trade and building approvals figures show that two important supports of the economy softened towards the end of last year. This reinforces our view that GDP growth in the... 7th January 2016 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Recovery loses its vigour in 2015 The National Accounts released at the end of last year suggested that the economic recovery has less momentum than previously thought and still looks very unbalanced. Real GDP in 2015 is now on course... 6th January 2016 · 1 min read