FocusEconomics Insights - Latest Posts
4 Key European Elections That Will Impact the Economy in 2017
January 18, 2017
After a year characterized by Brexit, a migrant crisis, populist movements and the election of Donald Trump, uncertainty in the European Union economy is high. While economic data has remained resilient thus far, politics will likely stay in the spotlight this year and threaten confidence as a number of high profile economies hold elections, including France, Germany, The Netherlands and Italy. In a context of waning support for the status quo and recent election polls failing to predict results, Senior Economist Angela Bouzanis takes a look at the upcoming votes we are keeping an eye on and why.
How are security concerns and political chaos affecting Turkey’s economy?
January 16, 2017
The consequences of July’s coup attempt, numerous terrorist attacks, a weak currency and heightened political uncertainty took a toll on the Turkish economy in the third quarter of 2016. Revised data show that GDP contracted for the first time in seven years, disappointing the markets and contrasting the previous quarter’s expansion. On balance, FocusEconomics panelists expect that the economy will expand 2.7% in 2017, which is down 0.3 percentage points from last month’s estimate.
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Global growth to edge up in 2017
January 5, 2017
Global growth is likely to strengthen this year but uncertainty over geopolitical issues across the globe, elections in various European countries, Brexit negotiations and Donald Trump as President of the United States, pose risks to growth. Have a look at what is expected for the developed economies & the emerging markets in 2017.
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The latest on the economy of Latin America
December 9, 2016
Latin America has been in recession for almost two years and it looks likely that come the end of this year, the Latin American economy will have been in recession for a second consecutive year for the first time since the "Lost Decade" of the 1980s. But could it be making a triumphant return to the top in 2017? We take a look at the latest on the economy of Latin America below.
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Italy referendum: 'No' vote to boost populist sentiment and lead to the demise of the Eurozone?
December 5, 2016
Italy's and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s constitutional referendum was met with a resounding ‘no’ on Sunday.
The referendum was aimed at greatly simplifying the currently cumbersome relationship between the two chambers of Italian parliament to ultimately create a more efficient decision-making system and boost competitiveness. However, Beppe Grillo and his populist anti-EU Five Star Movement, was critical in delivering the ‘no’ vote, which highlights the continent’s rising tide of populism.
The outcome of the referendum marked the beginning of a very important year for the European Union and could, in the very worst case scenario, lead to the demise of the common currency bloc.
OPEC deal: Will OPEC comply? Who will really benefit?
December 1, 2016
The OPEC deal is done and the news sent oil prices soaring yesterday. The deal, which is designed to curb record-high global oil inventories, has been mooted as a possibility since last February when prices dropped to their lowest prices in over a decade.
It’s taken almost a year, but the deal is done, overcoming disputes between the cartel’s three biggest producers, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. The deal, which also includes non-OPEC member Russia, represents the first time in 8 years that OPEC agreed to cut oil production and the first time Russia, one of the largest oil producers outside of the cartel, has agreed to cut production in 15 years.
Interview with Chief Economist of Banco Fator: “2017 will be a difficult year for Brazil”
December 1, 2016
The Brazilian economy remains stuck in the worst recession in modern history and GDP is expected to contract a sharp 3.2% in 2016. While signs of stabilization have begun to emerge and the recession is abating, the FocusEconomics panel sees only a tepid recovery next year, with growth of 1.0%. Against this backdrop, we spoke with one of our panel members Chief Economist José Francisco from Banco Fator about the recent developments in the Brazilian economy and what he expects for 2017.
Set to breach targets again? Debt and deficit outlooks for Southern European Eurozone countries in 2016 & 2017
November 28, 2016
After dragging Greece kicking and screaming through a never-ending vicious cycle of fiscal adjustment and output decline, the European Commission seems to be softening in its attitude towards other struggling Eurozone economies. France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, among others, have all repeatedly been given extensions to reduce their debt and deficit levels after recurrent breaches of EU targets have gone unpunished, and the trend looks set to continue as our forecasts show that those economies will underperform again this year and next. Does this mark a shift in mindset within the Commission as to whether the Growth and Stability Pact is fit for purpose? Or rather just tactical maneuvering—or indeed resigned acceptance—in tough political times, as the EU faces unprecedented challenges to its legitimacy and survival?
What does Donald Trump mean for the U.S. economy?
November 24, 2016
Donald Trump will take power in January and will govern a U.S. economy that is in its seventh year of growing tepidly at around 2%. Our Consensus Forecast for the U.S. economy this month sees GDP growing 2.1% in 2017, but this will be subject to revision in the coming weeks and months as the economic priorities of President-elect Trump become clearer. Here we analyze the immediate and possible future implications of Trump’s victory. During his campaign, Trump outlined an extremely controversial policy agenda, including—but not limited to—building a wall on the U.S. southern border with Mexico, renegotiating NAFTA, cancelling or reforming the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), imposing punitive trade tariffs on China and cutting taxes for the wealthy. The unexpected victory of Trump in November’s election and the resultant uncertainty over future U.S. policy will have serious ramifications for both the domestic and global economies.
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How will emerging markets perform in 2017?
November 22, 2016
After a difficult 2015, the emerging markets have fortunately not decelerated as initially feared this year. Economic growth has been supported in 2016 by improving commodity prices and a broadly stable U.S. dollar. China’s economy has proved more robust than initially feared and the recovery now looks to be back on track in Brazil and Russia.
FocusEconomics’ Consensus Forecast sees emerging economies as a whole growing 3.9% this year, after expanding 4.0% in 2015. But what is in store for emerging markets in 2017?
Have a look at our latest Consensus Forecasts and find out what our panel of analysts says about the outlook for the key emerging markets next year.
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