GlobalSource Partners | Country Insights

Migration issues have topped the Russian political agenda after a tragic incident in a Moscow suburb. Legal and illegal foreign and domestic migrants have been engaged in various conflicts with the traditional population throughout the country, sometimes causing street protests and riots. In abse...

IPCA: Inflation is Becoming More Bothersome Again

BRAZIL ECONOMICS · Report · 07 Nov 2013

As expected, the IPCA for October accelerated, reaching 0.57%, after registering 0.35% the month before. Since the monthly rate was very near that of October last year, the accrued 12-month variation changed very little, falling from 5.86% to 5.84%. The acceleration in October was mainly caused b...

PM Erdogan Moves to Ban Co-habitation

TURKEY · In Brief · 06 Nov 2013

We had predicted that the campaign for the March local elections will witness not only moderately higher budgetary spending, but ”social pork barreling”, namely ultra-conservative measures to appease AKP’s constituency. We were dead right. PM Erdogan told reporters that his “conservative democrat...

Why is the Venezuela Oil Basket Price Falling?

VENEZUELA · Report · 05 Nov 2013

The Venezuela oil basket price[1] has been falling and losing ground relative to WTI and Brent since September 2013. For the first time in two years, the Venezuela basket is lower than WTI.As shown on graph 2, Venezuelan oil prices closely follow Mexican heavy oil Maya. This reflects Pdvsa’s pric...

The 2014 Budget and the Economy

MEXICO · Report · 05 Nov 2013

Executive SummaryThe economic figures published in Mexico over the course of October point to an incipient recovery relative to data released in previous months. The most significant of the positive news items include:A slight increase in manufacturing output reported for August (+1.6% yoy);The 1...

Political Insights: Week of November 4

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 04 Nov 2013

A busy week in Congress: In the House, the rapporteur of the Mining Code may present his report. On the House floor, the new Civil Process Code may be voted upon. In the Senate, two important Constitutional amendment proposals are on the agenda: the Compulsory Budget and the amendment to institut...

Politics Clouding the Economic Horizon

BRAZIL ECONOMICS · Forecast · 04 Nov 2013

Executive Summary There will be no way for the government to repeat in 2014 the high economic stimulus dose applied in the last presidential election year (2010), which succeeded in boosting GDP growth to 7.5% that year, but also left an inflationary legacy that raised the 12-month IPCA measure a...

Another Poor Inflation Print

TURKEY · Report · 04 Nov 2013

At 1.8%, October CPI-inflation came in markedly higher than consensus (1.3%) as well as our more bearish forecast (1.5%), but thanks to last year’s high base, the 12-month rate nevertheless declined to 7.7%, from 7.9% a month earlier. Yet, both PPI and core inflation (I-index) rose, the latter mu...

2014 Fiscal Budget

VENEZUELA · Report · 04 Nov 2013

The government is budgeting a 3.7 percent of GDP deficit for the national government in 2014, according to the draft budget submitted to the National Assembly on October 15. We forecast a substantially lower deficit at 0.7 percent of GDP. As usual, both revenues and expenditures are underestimate...

Price Controls and Fiscal Policy

BRAZIL ECONOMICS · Report · 04 Nov 2013

The fiscal result for September was disastrous. The consolidated public sector (central plus state and municipal governments) recorded a primary deficit of R$ 9 billion. This lowered the primary surplus in proportion to GDP to 1.6% against 1.8% in August. After correcting the official figures for...

Former Friends Fighting for Votes

COLOMBIA · Forecast · 04 Nov 2013

Executive SummaryHouseholds are growing less indebted, due to slowing consumption lending – and that’s the main reason for the slowdown in consumption. Still, at nearly 74%, most household debt is still consumption debt. And consumption lending was rebounding in the first week of October. That’s ...

A New Ballgame

ARGENTINA · Forecast · 04 Nov 2013

Executive Summary President Cristina Kirchner’s chances of running for a third consecutive termare now nil, after midterm elections October 27th cut her party’s representation in Congress to 32%, from 54% in 2011. The political cycle of Kirchnerism is also over: the new Congress won’t pass the re...

Political Insights: Week of November 4

BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 04 Nov 2013

Weekly Tracker: November 3-9

TURKEY · Report · 03 Nov 2013

Executive Summary March local election campaign started with headscarves in parliament and Mr. Sarigul, the popular mayor of Istanbul’s Sisli district, joining the CHP ranks. There is no more room for reforms until after the elections. We begin by outlining our preliminary predictions for the loc...

Inflation Report: Nothing Surprising

TURKEY · In Brief · 31 Oct 2013

As we were tied up at the economic congress in Izmir (apologies!), we couldn't hear Governor Basci speak today, but there is little surprising in what we read and heard so far. Inflation yearend estimate (midpoint) is now 6.8%, which we knew from the MTP already, while Governor Basci has apparen...