US fourth quarter GDP preview

Jan 29, 2016 13:04 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

Today first estimate of US fourth quarter GDP will be released at 13:30 GMT. After first US rate hike by FOMC, GDP figure stands vital in determining FEDs next move. However it is important to note this GDP is largely...

Disappointing data add pressure on the BOJ

Jan 29, 2016 02:54 am UTC| Commentary Economy Central Banks

The December2015 data out yesterday and today were disappointing. A biggerthan-expected decline was seen across industrial production (-1.4% MoM sa), household spending (-4.4% YoY) and retail sales (-0.2% MoM sa). Headline...

It’s a sobering picture on the labour market in Singapore

Jan 29, 2016 02:16 am UTC| Commentary Economy

Singapores employment growth has moderated sharply, although unemployment rate remains low at 1.9% sa. Only 31,800 jobs were added over the entire year. This is way lower than in previous years. In fact, the growth in 2015...

Canadian economy faces downturn due to falling oil prices

Jan 28, 2016 23:14 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

BOC kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged in January meeting. Moreover, Canadian dollar hit 13 year low against US dollar. Falling oil prices are also the major driver behind the commodity-based loonies losses.There...

New year fails to bring new confidence for Canadian small businesses

Jan 28, 2016 16:25 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

Small business confidence fell for a third straight month in January, with the CFIB Business Barometer Index falling 1.4 points to reach 54.3. This brings the sentiment reading to a level not seen since the spring of...

China Crisis Series

Chinese economy slowing down or not: Alibaba edition

Jan 28, 2016 13:11 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

There has been immense article of pessimism written over the past few years regarding Chinese economic slowdown. We also contributed to that mass. However, its time for some optimism. Alibabas result released today,...

BoJ under pressure as retail sales continue to decline

Jan 28, 2016 09:42 am UTC| Commentary Central Banks Economy

Japans December retail sales dropped more than expected, suggesting slow economic growth in the fourth quarter due to sluggish household spending. While the markets expect further monetary easing from the BoJ, the downbeat...