In 2018, Russia swung back into growth and a fiscal surplus, increased its current account surplus and created a defeasance structure to clean up the banking sector. The “new” Putin government affirmed its determination to boost the potential growth rate by raising the retirement age and launching a vast public spending programme for the next six years. Yet the economy faces increasing short-term risks. Monetary tightening and the 1 January VAT increase could hamper growth. There is also the risk of tighter US sanctions, which could place more downward pressure on the rouble.
On 15 January 2019, UK MPs rejected the proposed Brexit agreement reached by EU Heads of State two months earlier. With 432 of the 634 votes going against the deal, this result has significantly weakened Prime Minister Theresa May in future discussions with the EU and with Members of Parliament. Today almost anything looks possible, starting with a delay in the official date of the UK’s departure, currently scheduled for 29 March.
The COP24 only succeed in agreeing on rules on measuring, reporting and verifying carbon emissions. In the meantime, the world is falling behind the objective to limit global warming to 1.5°C. CO2 emissions are set to rise to 2030, whereas they should peak by 2020. Countries are underestimating the urgency for action or held back by commercial interests. Moreover, environmental legislation is met by growing public resistance. It demands a better framing of climate policies. Moreover, the climate change discussion should be broadened to the WTO.
EcoPerspectives is the quarterly review of advanced economies (member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and China.
It provides an outline of several advanced economies using indicators for the past quarter and it looks ahead in order to better understand and anticipate the main economic problems of the countries in question.
For EcoPerspectives, economists from the advanced economies team regularly monitor the key economic indicators of selected countries. In particular, our experts use the quarterly forecasts provided by BNP Paribas (for growth, inflation, exchange rates, interest rates and oil prices). Each economist analyses the economic situation of one or more countries, based on the available indicators, in order to see how they change, including the industrial production index, quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) and inflation forecasts, the consumer price index (CPI) and the producer price index (PPI), and employment and unemployment figures. How various stakeholders’ views evolve is also studied and analysed closely (e.g. household confidence and business climate). The author comments on the main factors that influence and determine the economic activity of the country concerned and the economic outlook for the coming quarter.
