Japan Economics Update Machinery orders still weak despite pick-up in July The second successive monthly rise in Japanese core machinery orders in July, announced today, does not suggest business capital spending will expand in Q3. The level of orders remains low, firms... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Labour Market Data (Jul./Aug.) The latest labour market figures revealed that employment has continued to grow, despite the underlying stagnation of output. However, we remain concerned that the labour market’s exceptional... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will Prague retail rents continue to rise? The rise in Prague retail rents seen over the past year or so is unlikely to be sustained over the next 18 months. But even though we think the consumer spending outlook will remain weak, the... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is the bazooka now in place? The German Court’s decision to allow the ESM to be ratified, together with the ECB’s earlier promise to meet ESM bond purchases with unlimited purchases of its own, suggests that a substantial... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus The hidden risk of rising Turkish bank debt Although Turkey’s current account deficit has started to narrow, short-term external debt – particularly in the banking sector – has risen sharply over the past couple of years. As such, Turkey... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China's "stimulus" does not justify higher metals prices The prices of metals and ores, particularly iron, have been boosted over the past few days by reports that China has approved a large number of infrastructure projects. However, a closer look confirms... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi's non-oil private sector surprises on the upside The slowdown in Saudi Arabia’s annual GDP growth rate from 5.9% in Q1 to 5.5% in the second quarter was due to the fact that both the oil and government sectors slowed sharply. Meanwhile, the private... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Corn prices to fall further as US harvest not as bad as feared The highlight from the “World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates”, published today by the United States Department for Agriculture (USDA), is a smaller than expected downward revision to the US... 12th September 2012 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Don't fret about prospect of lower US credit rating Today’s announcement by Moody’s that it will probably strip America of its AAA credit rating is not “new news” and shouldn’t cause any major waves in the bond market. The US fiscal position has been... 11th September 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Update Is inflation about to reach a turning point? Headline inflation rates across emerging Asia, which had been trending lower this year, look set to pick up in coming months. Nonetheless, inflation in the region is unlikely to rise sharply and... 11th September 2012 · 1 min read
US Data Response International Trade (Jul.) July’s trade figures are nowhere near as good as they look at first sight, as they mask a significant deterioration in export growth to the euro-zone. What’s more, the full impact on the US economy... 11th September 2012 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response International Merchandise Trade (Jul. 12) July's 1.6% m/m drop in export volumes was weaker than we had assumed, which suggests that net exports might remain a drag on GDP growth this quarter. This increases the chance that economic growth... 11th September 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Slump in iron ore prices suggests copper prices far too high Even after the slight recovery in the last few days, the price of iron ore has fallen by a third in the last two months. While the unusual contrast with the strength of copper prices can partly be... 11th September 2012 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Small businesses boost hiring plans The modest rebound in the NFIB small business optimism index to a three-month high of 92.9 in August, from 91.2, is encouraging, but the index is still well below its pre-recession level, suggesting... 11th September 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response FSA Mortgage Lending Statistics (Q2) Mortgage arrears continued to decline in Q2, and there is some tentative evidence that high LTV lending is starting to recover. But with mortgage rates still edging higher, tight credit conditions... 11th September 2012 · 1 min read
