Asia Economics Update India’s inflation data keep RBI in a bind India’s most closely-watched inflation measure rose further in August, underlining the challenges faced by the Reserve Bank’s (RBI) new governor, Raghuram Rajan, when the economy is obviously... 16th September 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly To what extent is the weak yen pushing up inflation? The return of inflation has been welcomed by many – although not by Japanese consumers – as an early success for “Abenomics”. In reality there is little behind the increases in the CPI other than the... 16th September 2013 · 1 min read
US Data Response Retail Sales & Producer Prices (Aug.) August’s retail sales data weren’t as good as expected, but they still suggest that underlying consumption growth is accelerating. Although next week’s Fed decision will be a close call, we still... 13th September 2013 · 1 min read
Global Inflation Watch Inflation to stay low even as the recovery picks up Inflation in most advanced economies is likely to remain at or below target for at least the next two years. GDP has accelerated in many countries, and has stabilised in the euro-zone, but it will be... 11th September 2013 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Encouraging signs on inflation and foreign demand Today’s inflation data added no additional pressure for monetary tightening while the weekend’s export data provided further evidence of a revival in foreign demand. 9th September 2013 · 1 min read
Global Economics Chart Pack Recovery gains momentum but capacity still ample The business surveys for August suggest that the global recovery, which accelerated in the second quarter, may have strengthened further in Q3. However, there is still plenty of spare capacity around... 6th September 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Ind. Prod. & Trade (Jul.), BoE Inflation Attitudes Survey (Q3) One criticism levelled at Robert Shiller’s cyclically-adjusted price/earnings ratio (CAPE) is that – for the S&P 500 at least – the denominator has been depressed by accounting changes. This has led... 6th September 2013 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Inflation Monitor (Sep.) Consumer price inflation stabilised over the summer and, while it is still likely to rise later in the year, the outlook is even more benign than we had anticipated a few months ago. We are lowering... 6th September 2013 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Recovery quickens as productivity rebounds The run of positive economic news has continued, with quarterly GDP growth in Q2 revised up to 0.7% and August’s CIPS/Markit PMIs pointing to even stronger growth in Q3. The divergence between output... 4th September 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Chart Pack Business and household prospects diverging The preliminary estimate of Q2 GDP only added to the uncertainty about the planned consumption tax hikes. The latest monthly data have mostly been favourable, notably the buoyancy of business... 4th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Consumers leading moderate recovery The euro-zone exited its record-long recession in Q2 and recent business surveys suggest that the economy should expand again in the third quarter. An increase in household spending, the first in... 4th September 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus Poland: towards a sweet spot of faster growth and low inflation The severity of the slowdown in the Polish economy over the past 18 months took commentators and policymakers by surprise. The good news is that the slowdown appears to have been largely cyclical in... 3rd September 2013 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Currency weakness will not lead to inflation spike in Asia The recent sell-off in Asian currencies has sparked fears that the region is about to suffer a sharp spike in inflation. We think this is unlikely. While exchange rate depreciation can push up the... 3rd September 2013 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Labour Cash Earnings (Jul.) Wage growth slowed in July and is likely to ease further in coming months as bonus season ends. Unless regular earnings pick up markedly, households’ purchasing power will therefore become further... 3rd September 2013 · 1 min read
BoE Watch Split vote on QE to re-emerge The long-awaited introduction of forward guidance has probably not had quite the impact the MPC was hoping for. We think that some members will vote to resume quantitative easing (QE) this month... 2nd September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey & CPI (Aug.)/ Unemployment (Jul 13.) August’s EC survey added to evidence of a moderate recovery in the euro-zone, but July’s unemployment figures confirm that this is not yet boosting the labour market. 30th August 2013 · 1 min read
