Based in Paris, BNP Paribas' Economic Research Department is composed of economists and statisticians:
The Economic Research department’s mission is to cater to the economic research needs of the clients, business lines and functions of BNP Paribas. Our team of economists and statisticians covers a large number of advanced, developing and emerging countries, the real economy, financial markets and banking. As we foster the sharing of our research output with anyone who is interested in the economic situation or who needs insight into specific economic issues, this website presents our analysis, videos and podcasts.
+33(0)1 42 98 79 82 francois.faure@bnpparibas.com
In the second quarter of 2024, Turkish growth fell below 3% year-on-year for the first time since 2019. On a quarterly basis, GDP even remained stable. Without the positive contribution of foreign trade and inventories, GDP would even have fallen.
Growth in emerging markets held up fairly well until the spring of 2024, partly thanks to the easing of monetary policies since mid-2023. The imminent one in the United States should make it possible to extend or even strengthen it. In the most likely scenario of a soft landing of the US economy, the main risk for emerging economies is a sharper-than-expected slowdown in the Chinese economy. The slump in the real estate sector is spreading through the fall in commodity prices. On the one hand, most emerging countries will gain in disinflation. But, on the other hand, commodity-exporting countries of which China is the main customer will suffer. Above all, the risk of contagion lies in the implications of the Chinese authorities' strategy of supporting growth through foreign trade
Since the start of the year, growth in emerging countries has held up quite well. This is reflected not only in business and household confidence, but also in the confidence of foreign investors in the local bond and stock markets. The tightening of US monetary policy from early 2022 to mid-2023 did have a major negative impact on portfolio investment flows. However, this impact was largely offset by the attractiveness of emerging markets for both private and institutional investors, whether for purely financial reasons (carry trade strategies) or as part of a diversification strategy
The Ley Bases (a set of measures designed to liberalise the economy and, more generally, society) presented by Javier Milei after his inauguration last December was finally adopted at the end of June. As the President's party has no majority in either the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate, the final version was watered down. However, it is a victory for Milei, who is racing against time between an economy sinking into deep recession and the first signs of disinflation. For the government, the fight against inflation justifies the drastic cuts in public spending and the maintenance of a strategy of real exchange rate appreciation
The debate on monetary sovereignty in emerging countries is resurfacing with, on the one hand, the plan of Argentinian President Javier Milei to dollarise his economy, and on the other, the temptation of several West African country leaders to abandon the CFA franc. From a strictly economic point of view, dollarisation is effective in tackling hyperinflation. However, to be sustainable in the long term, it imposes severe constraints on fiscal policy and the nature of foreign investment. Conversely, the abandonment of the CFA franc with the aim of recovering the flexibility of an unpegged exchange rate regime and greater autonomy of monetary policy, is an argument that is either weak in theory or unconvincing in practice, even in the short term.
Since the local elections on 31 March, financial conditions have stabilised. Markets reacted favourably to the defeat of the ruling party at local level. The result of the elections is not expected to change the economic stabilisation programme of Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek. The Monetary Policy Committee maintained its key rate at its last meeting in April, a rate which it had raised again in March. Household consumption continues to drive growth, which will remain sustained this year unless fiscal policy becomes very restrictive, which is unlikely. The rebalancing of growth components is underway, although it is not yet sufficient to curb the non-energy current account deficit.
The debate on monetary sovereignty in emerging countries is resurfacing with, on the one hand, the plan of Argentinian President Javier Milei to dollarise his economy, and on the other, the temptation of several West African country leaders to abandon the CFA franc. The abandonment of the CFA franc with the aim of recovering the flexibility of an unpegged exchange rate regime and greater autonomy of monetary policy, is an argument that is either weak in theory or unconvincing in practice.
Monetary and exchange rate conditions in emerging economies are more favourable in this early part of the year than they were at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. The relaxation of monetary policies made possible by lower inflation and upward revisions of economic growth forecasts has attracted portfolio investment. Despite the increase in geopolitical risk, sovereign risk is likely to reduce except for the most fragile countries, which were already under pressure in 2023. For low-income countries, 2024 will be a high-risk year as governments’ external debt repayments will remain very heavy, just as they were in 2023.
Following his clear victory in the presidential election, the new president, Javier Milei, intends to push ahead with the liberalisation and deregulation of the economy. A decree and an omnibus bill containing just over 1,000 measures, including some very radical ones, are already being scrutinised in the National Congress of Argentina. These measures have been received rather favourably by the markets and the IMF. However, against a very tense political and social backdrop, the economy is plunging into stagflation and thecountry’s financial situation is still very precarious. The government has already discussed a reprofiling of domestic public debt repayments with the banks. A default on external debt could still be avoided with support from the IMF
Monetary and forex conditions in emerging economies are more favourable in this early part of the year than they were at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. The relaxation of monetary policies made possible by lower inflation and upward revisions of growth forecasts have attracted portfolio investment. Despite the increase in geopolitical risk, sovereign risk is likely to reduce except for the most fragile countries, which were already under pressure in 2023. For low-income countries, 2024 will be a high-risk year as governments’ external debt repayments will remain very heavy, just as they were in 2023.
Growth in emerging countries held up quite well in H1 2023, thanks to countries in Asia, Brazil and Mexico. In Asia, inflation returned to very moderate levels in August or September (with the exception of India) and, compared to other areas, monetary tightening between mid-2021 and mid-2023 was on a much smaller scale. This helped offset the drop in exports. However, Central European countries did not benefit from this offset effect. Business and household surveys indicate that disparities between areas became more pronounced over the summer. These surveys also show that the heavyweights in Latin America (Brazil, Mexico) are better positioned within the major EM regions.
The normalisation of economic policy (tightening of monetary policy and a dose of fiscal restraint) has restored confidence among investors and rating agencies. Official foreign exchange reserves consolidated over the summer, the lira is much more stable and risk premiums have eased. Economic growth remains resilient despite the slowdown in domestic credit, and the budget deficit is much lower than expected given pre-election promises. However, inflation has accelerated once again and the current account deficit has just about stabilised. The rebalancing of growth and de-dollarization have not yet been achieved, but it is more likely now that these will be seen in 2024.
BNP Paribas Chief Economist William De Vijlder interviews Hélène Baudchon, Head of the OECD Economic Research team; Richard Malle, Global Head of Research at BNP Paribas Real Estate; and François Faure, Head of the Emerging Markets and Country Risk team. They take stock of the global economic situation against a backdrop of inflation, rising interest rates and monetary tightening by central banks. Are we coming to the end of this monetary tightening cycle? What are the impacts on economic growth and financial markets? Have official rates reached a peak in the eurozone or the United States? What influence has the rise in interest rates on the property market? What is happening in emerging countries? These questions will be addressed in three chapters. Enjoy your viewing!
Even though economic growth in early 2023 was better than forecast for emerging countries, the slowdown scenario is seemingly coming to pass for the rest of the year. In 2024, the strength of the recovery will hinge on the geopolitical climate and on how far monetary policy is eased in the US and the euro zone. It will also hinge on the investment outlook for emerging countries. The UNCTAD’s annual report gives cause for optimism around the investment outlook, except for low-income economies.
Since the presidential and legislative elections in May, the Turkish lira has fallen sharply again and domestic interest rates have increased. Calm has returned in recent weeks with the monetary turnaround of the central bank (CBRT), now led by Hafize Gaye Erkan, and the return of Mehmet Simsek, who in the past has been the AKP government’s guarantor to foreign markets and investors, at the head of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. But their task of rebalancing a real economy in a state of overheating and faced with stubbornly high inflation is a challenge. More than the recent slowdown in growth, the likely risk of worsening twin deficits must be closely monitored. However, the alarmist analyses that conclude that there is a risk of a balance-of-payments crisis are exaggerated.
Emerging markets exports contracted sharply in late 2022-early 2023, particularly in Asia due to the turnaround in the global electronic cycle. But US/China structural decoupling is probably already at work.
The scenario of a slowdown in the emerging economies in 2023 is based on two hypotheses: 1) a slowdown in global trade and 2) the recessionary impact of inflation and monetary tightening. The first hypothesis is now a certainty: exports have clearly contracted in recent months, in both the advanced countries and emerging economies. The causes are partially circumstantial, and hopefully the cooling of world trade will only be cyclical. It is possible, however, that the trade and technological decoupling of the US and China are also a contributing factor.
Argentina’s economy is in turmoil. Since Q4 2022, it has been mired in a recession that is bound to extend at least through H1 2023. The farm sector has been plagued by misfortune: for the third consecutive year it has been hit by drought – whose intensity has been compounded by climate change – and an outbreak of avian influenza. Inflation has soared, forcing the central bank to tighten monetary policy. Despite fiscal efforts, the balance of payments and foreign reserves are coming under increasingly fierce pressures, even with IMF support. The government has rolled out a series of measures to avoid wasting foreign reserves and defaulting on its external debt with official creditors. It has also had to offer a proposal to reschedule domestic debt in the local currency.
In 2022 as a whole, average economic growth in Emerging Markets (EMs) slowed to an estimated 3.8% down from 6.6% in 2021. The slowdown followed the post-Covid shock rebound of 2021 and was much aggravated by the rise of powerful headwinds throughout the year, including: the repercussions of Russia’s war in Ukraine on activity in Europe and global inflation, monetary tightening to fight against price pressures, the weakening in Chinese economic growth (notably resulting from Covid-related disruptions and the crisis in the property sector), and the downturn in world trade.
Over the past few months, the equity markets of the main emerging financial centres have shown a little more optimism. They are betting on a recovery in growth in China after the lifting of health restrictions, on the positive effect of the drop in commodity prices for importing countries and on the impact of US monetary tightening and the appreciation of the dollar to be less severe than expected. The first two arguments are uncertain and must be put into perspective. The financial shock is probably behind us. But its negative impact on investment will continue this year. Likewise, the acceleration of inflation in 2022 could have diffuse effects on household consumption, even if wages were to catch up.
Türkiye has enjoyed a period of financial calm since mid-2022 with exchange rate stability relative to the first half of the year, lower risk premiums and bond yields. Growth stagnated in Q3 2022, but monthly inflation slowed and the economic indicators available for Q4 2022 continued to be positive. For 2023, a slowdown is inevitable given the weaker levels of activity expected from the country’s main trading partners. But domestic demand could mitigate the external shock and the fall in oil prices should help to reduce the current account deficit. However, it is still too early to draw any conclusions about the success of economic policy combining fiscal support, monetary easing, and measures to channel the growth of credit and to encourage liraization.
In Turkey, growth has held up well (+4% year-on-year in Q3 2022) despite the rise in inflation. Consumer spending was the main supporting element, with an increase of 18%. However, the acceleration in inflation (from 19% year-on-year in Q3 2021 to 74% in Q2 2022) led to a contraction in the wage bill in real terms up to Q2 2022, despite a strong recovery in employment. Since mid-2022, inflation has continued to accelerate (+84.4% in November) but a wages catch-up has occurred following the revaluation of the minimum wage. However, this cannot explain the difference between consumption and the wage bill purchasing power.
Excluding China, activity in emerging countries was stagnant in Q2 2022 and business and household confidence surveys indicate that the economic slowdown will continue. Inflation continues to rise and is being accompanied by new decisions of monetary tightening, including by central banks in Asia. The deterioration in external demand and tighter domestic financial conditions have combined with the monetary tightening in the United States and USD appreciation to trigger the slowdown in activity. This is a double whammy for emerging countries. But developing countries, which are also facing the food crisis and a situation of over-indebtedness, are in a more worrisome situation.
Emerging countries have recently faced a series of unexpected and severe shocks that will significantly dampen their economic performance in 2022. Global inflation has increased due to rising commodity prices and world supply disruptions resulting from the conflict in Ukraine. The lockdowns in China’s industrial regions during the spring have aggravated supply problems and further worsened the global economic outlook. Moreover, monetary policies have tightened in most countries, while external financing conditions have also deteriorated due to the weakening in global investor sentiment and US monetary policy tightening. Emerging markets have already faced a bout of large capital outflows since the beginning of the year
The economic situation in Turkey offers striking contrasts between (i) sustained growth until Q1 2022 and stubbornly huge inflation, (ii) much greater confidence among companies than among households, (iii) a primary budget surplus and a deteriorating current account deficit due to the surge in the price of energy, and (iv) domestic borrowing conditions for the State at an unprecedented negative real rate despite massive outflows from portfolio investments. Economic policy still combines a deliberately accommodative monetary policy and a competitive exchange rate to stimulate investment, exports and import substitution
