Mind The Gap

Germany’s inflation appears under control based on the value of consumer prices which have risen by 1.3% year on year to February according to the latest stats published this morning by Germany’s official stats agency. The UK’s official stats agency the ONS also published some key data this morning regarding the trade balance of the […]

French inflation has come in slightly ahead of expectations slightly dampening concerns that deflation may be becoming an issue for one of the largest global economies. After the RBNZ released their publication, revealing that they’d decided to hike interest rates by a quarter of one percent, Australia weighed in with, what on the face of

There’s a quirky index that’s used in Japan which many other G20 nations would do well to observe and put to use, it’s referred to as the “misery index” and it measures the economic hardship of a country and its people using a very simple formula adding inflation to the level of employment. The level

No sooner did a member of the UK’s monetary policy committee state yesterday that; a rising pound could choke of the UK recovery and any attempt to move to a more rebalanced economy based on increasing exports, then Germany this morning provides the perfect example of what a coveted exporting powerhouse should resemble. Exports are

With the news published over the weekend, that China had missed its export target by some distance and exports had fallen by eighteen percent, we were always guaranteed that the Asian bourses would open in the red and with increased volatility… However, not to be left out, Japan also published some disastrous data concerning its

News in from the German official stats agency has revealed that wholesale prices have reduced by 1.7% perhaps adding to many analysts’ fears that deflation is an issue still stalking the wider European economy. From Australia the news that the construction sector, on which the economy relies on heavily, is undergoing a contraction may come

Many investors and analysts are turning their attention to the base rate announcement due from the ECB this afternoon and the accompanying statement from the ECB president Mario Draghi. It may prove to be too early for a base rate reduction, past the 0.25% where the rate currently is, but his dialogue will be closely

There have been several services PMIs published overnight and this morning with perhaps the stand out print being the HSBC – Markit Economics composite print for China showing growth falling to a reading of 49.8, from the previous 50.8 previously. Output declined at goods producers for the first time since July 2013, while service providers

PMIs have taken centre stage in the morning’s scheduled high impact news events. Both Italy, Spain, the UK and wider Europe published prints, courtesy of Markit Economics, suggesting that the recent manufacturing improvement is continuing albeit at a very modest pace of growth. Overnight the PMI for China’s manufacturing was published revealing a deterioration in

Disappointing economic data from Japan and a further decline in China’s currency had Asian equities experiencing a mixed session overnight/early morning on Friday. The renminbi, which is tightly guided by the Chinese central bank, fell by up to 0.90 per cent against the US dollar. This is now the currency’s ninth day of declines. From