Malaysia’s central bank is likely to keep its policy rate on hold
May 06, 2015 17:59 pm UTC| Commentary
Malaysias central bank is likely to keep its policy rate on hold at 3.25% (11.00 BST) following the governors recent comments that the current interest rate level is supportive of growth. Any thoughts of rate hikes are a...
Japan service PMI to see a modest improvement in April
May 06, 2015 17:48 pm UTC| Commentary
Japan small business confidence is a reasonable guide to movements in the service PMI (02.35 BST). Despite a fall in April, the current level of small business confidence points to a modest improvement in the service PMI...
Euro-zone economy might have slowed a touch at the start of Q2
May 06, 2015 17:11 pm UTC| Commentary
Marchs euro-zone retail sales data (released on Wednesday) suggested that overall household spending registered a fairly strong increase in Q1.The 0.8% m/m fall in retail sales brought the annual rate of sales growth down...
Australia’s unemployment rate probably edged higher in April
May 06, 2015 17:02 pm UTC| Commentary
After rising rapidly in Feb and March, employment in Australia (02.30 BST) probably increased at a more modest pace in April.While job vacancies and advertisements remain relatively high, the latest survey evidence...
Rise in peripheral euro-zone bond yields has further to run
May 06, 2015 16:53 pm UTC| Commentary
The seemingly inexorable decline in the yields of peripheral euro-zone government bonds has finally begun to reverse over the past couple of weeks. Admittedly, the recent rise in peripheral bond yields has been in line...
Euro-zone outperformance will be short-lived
May 06, 2015 16:34 pm UTC| Commentary
The euro-zone economy looks likely to have outgrown both those of the US and UK in the first quarter of the year, for the first time since Q1 2011. But the outperformance looks set to be short-lived.Not only are the...
Poland MPC confirms the end of monetary policy easing
May 06, 2015 16:33 pm UTC| Commentary
The Polish Monetary Policy Council decided to leave its benchmark reference rate at 1.5%, which is in line with market consensus. The councils rhetoric is unchanged. The MPC confirmed the end of the rate cut cycle and...