FocusEconomics Insights - Latest Posts
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Beyond the Commodities Boom – China’s Shifting Role in Africa
December 7, 2015
China’s meteoric rise in the past has been a boon to developing and advanced economies alike. Its seemingly insatiable consumption of raw materials destined for its rapidly-expanding urban centers and capital investments in a number of sectors helped to inflate what is often referred to as the “commodities super cycle” that has characterized the past 15 years. In an effort to secure such commodities, China has expanded its presence in sub-Saharan Africa, sending substantial sums of capital, expertise and workers to develop extraction industries and infrastructure in several countries. However, China’s rapid growth is unwinding, and its objectives in Africa are likely to reflect this fact. This month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping visits Zimbabwe and South Africa to engage in talks with African leaders.
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Global Growth Forecasts for 2016
December 1, 2015
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China’s Economic Slowdown: Two sides of the same coin
November 16, 2015
There has been an intense debate over the policies that the Chinese government should have implemented in order to have successfully overcome this summer’s economic soft patch and avoid a much-dreaded economic downturn. Regarding the real economy, while some suggested that the priority was to prop up weakening growth in the all-important manufacturing sector, others stressed that the key was to boost domestic consumption.
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When China sneezes who catches the cold?
November 9, 2015
Since the early 2000’s, China has grown into one of the world’s two main growth engines, along with the United States. This situation intensified during the global financial crisis and has remained unaltered in recent years. Therefore, any slowdown or economic turmoil in China has dramatic consequences worldwide. The recent lackluster situation in China’s property sector and less robust infrastructure spending at regional levels due to financial constraints have reduced demand for commodities. This situation has exerted further downward pressure on prices and hit growth among commodity-export-driven nations. Developed countries are also feeling the pain of weaker growth in China mainly due to lower purchases of consumer goods, including luxury items. Nevertheless, it is worth highlighting that China is now in a soft patch, which means weaker growth, but not declining economic activity (at least not for now).
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The Russian Economy Explained – A 3-Part Series (Part 3)
November 4, 2015
Originally posted in November 2015. Updated in November 2016.
The final installment of our three-part series on Russia consists of an examination of their current monetary policy, exchange rate policy, and fiscal policy.
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Will Buhari’s reform agenda for Nigeria be derailed by political inaction?
November 3, 2015
President Muhammadu Buhari beat Goodluck Jonathan in the March election, which was Nigeria’s first-ever peaceful political transition. That said, far from reaping the benefits of the “dividends of democracy”, the long delay in appointing the new cabinet led the country to a political stalemate and, consequently, to much-needed economic reforms being postponed.
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The Russian Economy Explained – A 3-Part Series (Part 2)
October 28, 2015
Originally posted in October 2015, Updated in November 2016.
In part two of a three part series on the economy of Russia, we cover Russia’s Balance of payments and detail their exports and imports and how they are currently impacting the economy.
Before starting part 2, If you missed it, check out Part 1 on Russia’s economic profile, which gives an overview of Russia’s economy starting from the fall of the Soviet Union until present day including analysis of assets, risks, economic growth, and inflation.
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The Russian Economy Explained – A 3-Part Series (Part 1)
October 21, 2015
Originally posted in October 2015. Updated in November 2016.
FocusEconomics presents a 3-part series on the economy of Russia. In Part 1, we provide an overview of Russia’s economy from the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union until 2015, detailing the assets and risk factors from an economic perspective as well as analysis and forecasts for GDP and inflation in the near-term.
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How do the freshly-released IMF GDP growth forecasts compare to the FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast
October 6, 2015
The IMF has just released its biannual World Economic Outlook. Sharp downgrades were made to its growth forecasts for emerging economies, especially Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa and Russia. See how the IMF 2015 GDP growth forecasts compare to the latest consensus forecasts from the FocusEconomics’ network of the world’s leading economists.
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How will the global economy fare this year?
October 5, 2015
The global economy will continue to expand at a modest pace this year, with uneven projections across the main countries. Slowing growth in emerging economies and financial markets volatility cloud the world’s economic performance. Nevertheless, India and China continue to drive global growth. See the latest consensus forecasts from our network of the world’s leading economists.
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Euro Area: Interview with HSBC
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Covid-19 And Remittances in Central America & The Caribbean
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India: Interview with Société Générale
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Iran: Interview with Steven Burke, Iran economist at FocusEconomics
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The World's Top 5 Largest Economies in 2023
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