Japan Economics Update Snap elections won’t result in major fiscal loosening While the ruling LDP/Ishin No Kai coalition will probably enhance its majority in the upcoming Lower House elections, we aren’t convinced that this will herald a further major loosening of fiscal... 15th January 2026 · 4 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Emerging Markets Chart Pack (January 2026) EM GDP growth will slow to ~3.5% in 2026-27, the weakest rate in the past three decades outside times of crisis. But there are wide divergences at a country level. Much of the weakness in EM growth... 14th January 2026 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Pensions & public finances: not just a French problem Far from being only a French problem, pensions will be a growing fiscal headache in all the major euro-zone countries in the coming decade as populations age. In France and Italy, this will add to the... 14th January 2026 · 24 mins read
Commodities Update Iran instability a bigger headache than Venezuela The risks to the oil market from growing instability in Iran are much greater than in Venezuela. This is not only because Iran produces much more oil itself, but there are also a greater number of... 14th January 2026 · 4 mins read
China Economics Focus China’s AI rollout could rival the US One year on from DeepSeek’s breakthrough, Chinese AI is still hot on the heels of US tech. Despite hardware constraints, China looks set to remain close to the frontier of AI development. And China... 14th January 2026 · 31 mins read
Global Economics Focus How tariffs are (and are not) reshaping world trade This Focus answers 10 questions about the tariff state of play, how trade flows are changing, and whether the resilience of world trade will last. Beyond our conclusion that trade will continue to... 14th January 2026 · 25 mins read
Asia Economics Update Will Taiwan deploy its “chips weapon”? Taiwan last year briefly flirted with imposing restrictions on its exports of semiconductors as part of an effort to assert its foreign policy interests. But there are strong reasons for officials to... 14th January 2026 · 7 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Venezuela’s potentially messy sovereign debt restructuring Venezuela faces one of the largest and most complex sovereign debt restructurings on record. A high debt ratio, a complex array of creditors, deep-rooted issues in Venezuela’s oil sector as well as... 13th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Asia Economics Update Malaysia: Anwar failing to make progress on reform Anwar Ibrahim is now just over three years into his first term as prime minister of Malaysia. The restoration of political stability under his premiership is welcome, and he also deserves credit for... 13th January 2026 · 4 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Protests in Iran: the economic and oil market implications It’s unclear how the protests that have spread across Iran will develop and how they will affect the ruling regime and the oil sector. But the prospect of disruption to Iranian energy output presents... 12th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Global Economics Focus The Shape of the Fractured World in 2026 Donald Trump’s tariff policies and his aggressive foreign policy approach are straining relationships with traditional US allies. One consequence that is apparent in our Global Fracturing Dashboard is... 12th January 2026 · 2 mins read
Emerging Europe Economics Weekly Ukraine’s security, Venezuela spillovers, CPI data The US and Europe appeared to move closer to an agreement on providing security guarantees to post-war Ukraine this week, but Russia is unlikely to be on board with the terms of the proposed... 9th January 2026 · 7 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly The Donroe Doctrine unleashed The seizure of Venezuela's President Maduro by the US this week has underscored that the Western Hemisphere is firmly back in the US’s foreign policy focus. For Venezuela itself, oil will undoubtedly... 9th January 2026 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly On EU relations with the Western Hemisphere We suspect that European governments will prioritise their relationship with the US over concerns about Greenland’s sovereignty, not least because they are more focused on Nato and Ukraine. Meanwhile... 9th January 2026 · 5 mins read
India Economics Weekly Household debt, geopolitical alignment, CPI data The further rise in household debt in India last year should not be a major concern for now given the backdrop of falling interest rates. But it is a risk that will require close monitoring once the... 9th January 2026 · 4 mins read
UK Economics Update Four ways the UK consensus may be wrong in 2026 We think investors will be surprised by how far inflation, interest rates and gilt yields fall this year. That said, these forecasts could be knocked off course should fiscal policy not be tightened... 7th January 2026 · 4 mins read
