GlobalSource Partners | Country Insights

The government starts the week feeling the pressure of the success of the demonstrations calling for the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, which brought around 4 million people to the streets, as well as the PMDB party convention. After the STF decision on the rules for the impeachment proceedings, ...

NFPS deficit for 2015 right on target (2.4% of GDP). Central Bank says different

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · In Brief · 14 Mar 2016

The Ministry of Finance has finally released the figures of fiscal year 2015. The data set the NFPS deficit at DOP 72.7 bn. This is equivalent to 2.38% of GDP, right at the level that was set as a target for 2015 by the budget law. Our estimates pointed to a slightly higher deficit due to weak re...

Household Consumption Continues to Fall

BRAZIL ECONOMICS · Report · 14 Mar 2016

In November last year there was some optimism about possible recovery of real retail sales, but it soon became evident that the growth that month came from the Black Friday promotions, repeating the same behavior that had occurred in November 2014. However, the optimism was not easily abandoned, ...

Tumultuous Campaign

PERU · Report · 14 Mar 2016

After the turbulent weeks surrounding the campaign for the April 10th presidential election, the electoral tribunal at last decided to disqualify candidates Cesar Acuña and Julio Guzman, citing irregularities in both candidacies. It’s not yet clear which candidates will benefit most from their...

Turkey entering a vicious cycle of crack-downs and terror

TURKEY · In Brief · 14 Mar 2016

Hours after we e-mailed our Weekly Tracker, where we warned of PKK’s intentions to wreak havoc in Western cities, a BMW car laden with explosives detonated in the busy Kizilay Square of Ankara, killing 34 and injuring 125 innocent civilians. 17 of the injured are in critical condition, meaning th...

Weekly Tracker: March 13-19

TURKEY · Report · 13 Mar 2016

Davutoglu’s provocative refugee proposal to EU is not acceptable in its initial form, meaning that some kind of bargaining will have to take place. Given that there is no Plan B for EU, and no other direction to turn for Ankara, we bet on some type of a compromise. Russia might propose a federa...

GDP Results in 4Q

COLOMBIA · Report · 11 Mar 2016

Colombian GDP expanded by 3.3% in 4Q 2015; this allowed economic activity to expand by 3.1% for the year as a whole, pretty much in line with the market’s expectations (3%). While this result is still below potential GDP growth, it was among the best in the region, above Mexico, Brazil and Chile....

The Grand Chess Game

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 11 Mar 2016

The Russian leadership continues to use Syria as a bargaining chip in the country’s relations with the West. Although raising the stakes could be dangerous for Russia, so far the country has been largely successful in leveraging its military presence in the country and close relations with Syria ...

Bear Story

CHILE · Report · 09 Mar 2016

On February 29, the Minister of Finance announced a fiscal adjustment package of 0.3% of GDP. When Rodrigo Valdés was appointed Minister of Finance, he promised to gradually reduce the structural deficit. The 2016 budget was designed under the requirement that the structural balance be reduced fr...

Economics: Pass-through Effect Looms

MEXICO · Report · 09 Mar 2016

Peso depreciation has been a source of considerable concern in virtually all spheres of Mexican society. One of the main reasons for that sense of unease is the extent to which we are seeing a resurgence of inflation pressures. Just two weeks after Banco de México and the Ministry of Finance ann...

Politics: New Challenges to Anti-graft Reform

MEXICO · Report · 09 Mar 2016

Fighting corruption is an issue that is at the center of public debate these days in Mexico, thanks in large part to the call for a citizens’ initiative in support of their proposal for a General Law of Administrative Responsibilities, which has been promoted under the hash tag “#Ley3de3”. Follow...

The Current Account Deficit Expands In the Fourth Quarter of 2015, but Contracts Annually

SOUTH AFRICA · Report · 08 Mar 2016

The balance of payments figures released by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) show that South Africa’s current account balance shrunk further during the last quarter of 2015 to record a deficit of R208 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, which translates into minus 5.1% of GDP...

Grace Poe allowed to run

PHILIPPINES · In Brief · 08 Mar 2016

In a 9-6 decision, the Supreme Court today ruled that Senator Grace Poe can run for the Presidency, reversing the Commission on Elections' earlier decision to disqualify her. The bets are that this decision, which lifts the cloud of uncertainty surrounding her eligibility, will boost her ranking ...

New data reflects a weakening economy, sharply tighter fiscal policy

HUNGARY · In Brief · 08 Mar 2016

There is rarely a clearer case for further monetary loosening than the current one. CPI-inflation was -0.1% mom, 0.3% yoy in February, the yoy rate dropping from 0.9% in the previous month. Much of this drop was due to another -3.7% mom in fuel prices, but ex-fuel inflation also fell to 1.2% yoy ...

EU-Turkey summit: A hard offer to swallow for EU

TURKEY · In Brief · 08 Mar 2016

The historic EU-Turkey summit ended with a decision to hold another one on 17-18 March, as Turkish Premier Davutoglu arrived at Brussels with a ground-breaking proposal that can largely mitigate EU’s refugee crisis. The problem is EU needs to pay the piper and the price might be too high. On the ...