Asia Economics Weekly Property prices in Asia - an update Last year we identified Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and Taiwan as places where property markets were showing signs of overheating. This Weekly examines how property prices in the region have fared... 1st October 2012 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Weekly Production tumbles further but still no end in sight The latest figures on Japan’s economy were downbeat. We have been forecasting a contraction in Q3 GDP since June and nothing that has happened since has shifted that view. Industrial production has... 1st October 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update India's external deficit remains a concern India‘s current account deficit fell in the second quarter of the year, but only slightly. The deficit remains high and India is still dependent on fragile portfolio investment. In these circumstances... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Weak Q2 growth to prompt further rate cuts in Kenya Weaker-than-expected second quarter growth in Kenya reinforces the case for further rate cuts at the central bank’s next meeting in November. While we expect a slight pick-up in the second half of the... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Energy Watch QE3 boost to be short-lived Rather than providing a further boost to oil prices, the announcement of open-ended quantitative easing (QE3) by the US Fed appears to have marked at least a temporary peak. The focus is already... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Burgeoning housing recovery won't transform GDP growth The promising recovery in the housing market will continue during the fourth quarter and next year. But because housing accounts for only a tiny share of GDP, the recovery won’t transform the US from... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response GDP by Industry (Jul. 12) July's stronger than expected 0.2% m/m increase in GDP, partly due to a rebound in petroleum and auto manufacturing, follows a weak downward revised 0.1% m/m advance in the month before. Given growing... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Land Registry Repeat Sales Index (Aug. 12) House prices were flat in August according to the Land Registry, and even prices in London showed no change. But demand for £2m+ houses as a perceived safe asset continues to grow, despite the... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Chart Pack Central banks step up to the plate Central banks in Emerging Europe are starting to respond to the economic downturn that has spread across the region. Interest rates were cut this month in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey, and... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI (Sep.) September’s rise in euro-zone CPI inflation will not help to ease the pressure on households. Nonetheless, the increase is unlikely to mark the start of a sustained upward trend. 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Middle East Markets Monitor (Sep.) The combination of an improvement in political conditions and rising hopes of an IMF deal has boosted bond and equity markets in Egypt. But at the same time, the return of foreign investors will... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Bank of Japan Watch BOJ to shift emphasis to improving growth potential On the face of it, the Bank of Japan’s Policy Board meeting next week looks like it will be a non event. The Board has acknowledged the weakening state of the domestic and global economy, and it... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response GfK/NOP Consumer Confidence (Sep.) Consumer sentiment continues to be very depressed. Admittedly, the small rise in confidence in September is consistent with the pick-up in other economic indicators in recent weeks. But the underlying... 28th September 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Stimulus starting to take hold in Brazil There are signs that policy stimulus is starting to take hold in Brazil. Retail sales are growing, car sales hit a record high in August and even output in the beleaguered industrial sector has... 27th September 2012 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Providing little more clarity on OMTs Having been lauded as being “as mighty as the Fed” after unleashing a policy “bazooka” in the form of the Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) programme in September, the ECB is unlikely to announce... 27th September 2012 · 1 min read
