BoK discloses dip in GDP growth due to MERS outbreak

Jul 20, 2015 01:19 am UTC| Commentary Economy Central Banks

The release of advance GDP figures for Q2 2015 is basically set to be a non-event, as BoK Governor Lee Ju-yeol already disclosed a flash estimate of 0.4% qoq, at the press conference following the MPC meeting on 9 July. He...

More positive signs, but accommodative policies still warranted for China

Jul 19, 2015 22:54 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

Chinas Q2 GDP and June data all came in better than expected, pointing to more signs of stabilization. The official Q2 GDP printed a growth rate of 7.0% y/y and 7.0 q/q saar, above expectations (consensus: 6.8%). Fixed...

Fed semi-annual testimony - more upbeat than usual

Jul 15, 2015 17:33 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

In the July semi-annual Monetary Policy Report to Congress, Chair Janet Yellen reiterated the message from her speech on Friday that a first fed funds rate hike this year is likely to be appropriate. In general, the...

South Korea resurgent hiring in manufacturing offsets MERS impact on services

Jul 15, 2015 02:25 am UTC| Commentary Economy

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.9% in June (Barclays: 3.9%; consensus: 4.0%), after ticking lower in March and April from a February high (Apr and Mar: 3.7%; Feb: 3.9%; Jan: 3.4%). The...

Labour market slack to diminish faster than Fed projects

Jul 14, 2015 17:20 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

A key reason why we expect the Fed to hike in September rather than wait to December is developments in the labour market. The June summary of economic projections showed that the Fed sees the unemployment rate falling to...

US Small business sentiment takes a hit in June

Jul 14, 2015 15:03 pm UTC| Commentary Economy

The NFIBs small business optimism index tumbled by 4.2 points in June to 94.1 - the lowest reading in more than a year. The headline number came in considerably below the consensus estimate, which called for the index to...

Recession confirmed in Russia

Jul 14, 2015 04:45 am UTC| Commentary Economy

The trends in Russian economy reflect the sharp drop in real household revenues, as consumers anticipated the upsurge in inflation and made early purchases in late 2014. Investment continued to contract. The recession...