Europe Economics Weekly Is this the real crunch time for Greece? Given the number of “crunch times”, “end-games” and “abysses” that Greece has faced over the last two years, it would be easy to dismiss the latest speculation that the tragedy is about to reach its... 24th August 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Talk of return to Gold Standard to come to nothing Reports that the Republican Party will call for the establishment of a commission to examine the case for restoring the link between the dollar and gold may be another positive for the price of the... 24th August 2012 · 1 min read
Non-Euro Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Emerging Europe – at a turning point? Norway and Sweden continue to ride out the euro-zone crisis relatively well. But the picture in Emerging Europe is less bright. The Czech and Hungarian economies both contracted in Q2, while the pace... 24th August 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response GDP: Second Estimate & Expenditure Breakdown (Q2) UK GDP was revised up in the second quarter as expected, but the revision was pretty small in the big picture. The UK’s economic performance still looks dismal. 24th August 2012 · 1 min read
Asia Economics Weekly What would QE3 mean for Asia? The minutes of the US Federal Reserve’s August meeting strongly suggested that the Fed will embark on a third round of quantitative easing (QE3) in September. This week’s lead article assesses the... 24th August 2012 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Economy struggling to absorb economic slack We now estimate that second-quarter GDP grew by an estimated 1.6% annualised, slightly below the Bank of Canada's revised 1.8% prediction. More importantly, economic growth below 2% is not enough to... 24th August 2012 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Further reserve requirement cuts still likely The People’s Bank of China has this week conducted the most aggressive open market operations of the year, leading to questions over whether it is shifting away from its reliance on the required... 24th August 2012 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q2 12) Q2’s Norwegian GDP data provided further signs that the economy is shrugging off the euro-zone debt crisis. But although Norway is likely to remain one of Europe’s best performers over the coming... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
UK Markets Outlook Lacklustre growth to weigh on UK assets While UK equity and gilt prices have both increased over the last few months, we doubt that further significant price rises are likely over the coming quarters. Equities seem destined to struggle as... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response New Home Sales (Jul.) July’s rise in new home sales was clearly welcome news. And it does little to dissuade us from the view that the housing market has shifted from being a clear drag on the wider economy to offering... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update The market implications of QE3 The US Fed looks set to launch QE3 soon, but a third injection of the same medicine is unlikely to be anywhere near as effective as the first two in supporting the prices of equities or commodities... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economic Outlook Region’s star performers set to lose their shine The slowdown in Emerging Europe in recent months is a sign of things to come, and we expect a number of countries to spend the next year in recession. The most obvious concern on the horizon remains... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Update Is it too early to be looking for a recovery? Commercial property capital values are likely to drop by perhaps another 5%. But that figure may now be small enough that would-be buyers are prepared to look past it and ahead to a recovery. As such... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response CBI Distributive Trades Survey (Aug.) August’s CBI Distributive Trades Survey suggested that the Olympics did little to boost retail sales. Recent bad news on petrol and energy prices, as well as rising borrowing costs, will dampen the... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
Commodities Update China’s PMI adds to worries about commodities demand China’s flash manufacturing PMI has dropped to its lowest level this year. So far today the impact on commodity prices has been trumped by hopes of further quantitative easing from the US Fed. However... 23rd August 2012 · 1 min read
