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Most Recent News Analysis

Congo-Brazzaville seeks IMF programme extension

What's happened?
At end-January the Congolese authorities requested a three-month extension of the country's extended credit facility (ECF) arrangement with the IMF (which started in January 2022, and was scheduled to expire on January 20th). The IMF conducted a staff visit in October 2024, ahead of a sixth and

Read More »

Ceasefire between DRC and M23 rebels fails to hold

What's happened?
A ceasefire initiated on humanitarian grounds by the March 23 Movement (M23), which the UN claims is supported by Rwanda, came into effect on February 4th but lasted for only 48 hours. Since fighting erupted in Goma, North Kivu province, on January 26th, at least 2,000 people

Read More »

Austria registers flat GDP growth in Q4

What's happened?
The Austrian economy registered flat quarterly growth in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to preliminary results. This followed a quarterly contraction of 0.1% in the third quarter, flat growth in the second quarter and weak growth of 0.2% in the first quarter. Overall, real GDP fell

Read More »

Egypt panics about Donald Trump’s Gaza plan

What's happened?
Egypt is preparing for a potentially serious diplomatic confrontation with both Israel and the US, after the latter's newly installed president, Donald Trump, claimed that Gaza could be emptied to make way for reconstruction of the Strip. Under the plan, only loosely outlined by the US head

Read More »

Congress rejects lithium contracts

What's happened?
In late January Bolivia's Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) rejected two contracts for lithium extraction with Russia's state-owned Uranium One Group and a Chinese consortium, representing about US$2bn in foreign investment. The decision came amid allegations that the government of the president, Luis Arce of the

Read More »

Latvian government prepares for airBaltic IPO

What's happened?
On January 29th, Lufthansa of Germany bought a 10% stake in Latvia's national flag carrier, airBaltic, for €14m. The deal also includes a seat on airBaltic's supervisory board. The airline now plans to move ahead with an initial public offering (IPO) in the second quarter of 2025.

Read More »

Arrest of Kazakh satirist signals intolerance of dissent

What's happened?
On January 17th, police arrested Temirlan Yensebek, a Kazakh satirist with a popular social media account that poked fun at the authorities. We believe that this demonstrates the hard line against dissent adopted by the administration of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, which we expect to continue in the 2025-29

Read More »

Draconian digital law will erode media freedom in Pakistan

What's happened?
On February 6th the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists filed a lawsuit in the Islamabad High Court against the controversial provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025. The government passed the amendments through parliament in late January to tighten regulation and control over social

Read More »

Rubio reassures Costa Rican leaders

What's happened?
On February 4th in his first tour in the role, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, arrived in Costa Rica to discuss security, drug-trafficking and China with local officials. EIU believes that the visit showed that Costa Rica is unlikely to face the same pressure as

Read More »

Milei administration cuts automobile taxes

What's happened?
The government of the president, Javier Milei, has announced that it will eliminate a 20% tax on cars valued between Ps45m to Ps75m (US$42,800 to US$71,300); cut the tax rate for cars over Ps75m, from 35% to 18%; eliminate tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids; as

Read More »

Most Recent News Analysis

Congo-Brazzaville seeks IMF programme extension

What's happened?
At end-January the Congolese authorities requested a three-month extension of the country's extended credit facility (ECF) arrangement with the IMF (which started in January 2022, and was scheduled to expire on January 20th). The IMF conducted a staff visit in October 2024, ahead of a sixth and

Read More »

Ceasefire between DRC and M23 rebels fails to hold

What's happened?
A ceasefire initiated on humanitarian grounds by the March 23 Movement (M23), which the UN claims is supported by Rwanda, came into effect on February 4th but lasted for only 48 hours. Since fighting erupted in Goma, North Kivu province, on January 26th, at least 2,000 people

Read More »

Austria registers flat GDP growth in Q4

What's happened?
The Austrian economy registered flat quarterly growth in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to preliminary results. This followed a quarterly contraction of 0.1% in the third quarter, flat growth in the second quarter and weak growth of 0.2% in the first quarter. Overall, real GDP fell

Read More »

Egypt panics about Donald Trump’s Gaza plan

What's happened?
Egypt is preparing for a potentially serious diplomatic confrontation with both Israel and the US, after the latter's newly installed president, Donald Trump, claimed that Gaza could be emptied to make way for reconstruction of the Strip. Under the plan, only loosely outlined by the US head

Read More »

Congress rejects lithium contracts

What's happened?
In late January Bolivia's Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) rejected two contracts for lithium extraction with Russia's state-owned Uranium One Group and a Chinese consortium, representing about US$2bn in foreign investment. The decision came amid allegations that the government of the president, Luis Arce of the

Read More »

Latvian government prepares for airBaltic IPO

What's happened?
On January 29th, Lufthansa of Germany bought a 10% stake in Latvia's national flag carrier, airBaltic, for €14m. The deal also includes a seat on airBaltic's supervisory board. The airline now plans to move ahead with an initial public offering (IPO) in the second quarter of 2025.

Read More »

Arrest of Kazakh satirist signals intolerance of dissent

What's happened?
On January 17th, police arrested Temirlan Yensebek, a Kazakh satirist with a popular social media account that poked fun at the authorities. We believe that this demonstrates the hard line against dissent adopted by the administration of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, which we expect to continue in the 2025-29

Read More »

Draconian digital law will erode media freedom in Pakistan

What's happened?
On February 6th the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists filed a lawsuit in the Islamabad High Court against the controversial provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025. The government passed the amendments through parliament in late January to tighten regulation and control over social

Read More »

Rubio reassures Costa Rican leaders

What's happened?
On February 4th in his first tour in the role, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, arrived in Costa Rica to discuss security, drug-trafficking and China with local officials. EIU believes that the visit showed that Costa Rica is unlikely to face the same pressure as

Read More »

Milei administration cuts automobile taxes

What's happened?
The government of the president, Javier Milei, has announced that it will eliminate a 20% tax on cars valued between Ps45m to Ps75m (US$42,800 to US$71,300); cut the tax rate for cars over Ps75m, from 35% to 18%; eliminate tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids; as

Read More »

Most Recent Global Outlook

Country Forecast World 3rd Quarter 2024

Key trends Geopolitical risk will continue to weigh on the outlook. EIU’s baseline forecasts continue to rule out a war emerging in the Middle East or Asia comparable to that of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but even the threat of geopolitical conflict will lead to economic reconfiguration, policy divergence and

Read More »

Country Forecast World 3rd Quarter 2024

Key trends Geopolitical risk will continue to weigh on the outlook. EIU’s baseline forecasts continue to rule out a war emerging in the Middle East or Asia comparable to that of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but even the threat of geopolitical conflict will lead to economic reconfiguration, policy divergence and

Read More »

Country Forecast World 3rd Quarter 2024

Key trends Geopolitical risk will continue to weigh on the outlook. EIU’s baseline forecasts continue to rule out a war emerging in the Middle East or Asia comparable to that of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but we expect that even the threat of geopolitical conflict will lead to economic fragmentation,

Read More »

Most Recent Global Outlook

Country Forecast World 3rd Quarter 2024

Key trends Geopolitical risk will continue to weigh on the outlook. EIU’s baseline forecasts continue to rule out a war emerging in the Middle East or Asia comparable to that of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but even the threat of geopolitical conflict will lead to economic reconfiguration, policy divergence and

Read More »

Country Forecast World 3rd Quarter 2024

Key trends Geopolitical risk will continue to weigh on the outlook. EIU’s baseline forecasts continue to rule out a war emerging in the Middle East or Asia comparable to that of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but even the threat of geopolitical conflict will lead to economic reconfiguration, policy divergence and

Read More »

Country Forecast World 3rd Quarter 2024

Key trends Geopolitical risk will continue to weigh on the outlook. EIU’s baseline forecasts continue to rule out a war emerging in the Middle East or Asia comparable to that of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but we expect that even the threat of geopolitical conflict will lead to economic fragmentation,

Read More »

Most Recent Industry Reports

Consumer Goods and Retail Report Saudi Arabia January 2025

Consumer goods and retail report: Overview Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East, driven by its oil sector which makes up some 40% of GDP. It is the most populous country in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), a six-nation regional economic bloc, with a youthful population, which

Read More »

Healthcare Report Hong Kong January 2025

Healthcare report: Healthcare spending Overview EIU forecasts that Hong Kong’s real GDP will increase by 2.4% in 2025-a slight moderation from 2.5% real growth in 2024. Private consumption will slow as the post-pandemic rebound settles, but this will be offset by acceleration in export growth alongside increasing demands for Chinese

Read More »

Healthcare Report Egypt January 2025

Healthcare report: Healthcare spending Overview EIU estimates that Egypt’s healthcare expenditure was equivalent to 4.8% of its GDP in 2024, far below the OECD average. We expect healthcare spending to increase to about 5.2% of GDP on average in our 2025-29 forecast period as inflation eases. The continued rollout of

Read More »

Automotive Report United Kingdom 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview The automotive sector is an integral part of UK manufacturing, comprising 11% of goods exports and directly employing about 190,000 people. However, vehicle production has fallen sharply since 2016. The outlook for the sector is challenging amid intensifying global competition (especially from China) and trade protectionism, the

Read More »

Automotive Report United States 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview The US is the world’s second-largest vehicle producer and market after China. Its automotive industry is closely integrated with those of Mexico and Canada. The North American automotive sector as a whole is currently in a state of considerable flux, caused by the rapid but inconsistent shift

Read More »

Financial Services Report Turkey 1st Quarter 2025

Overview Financial firms in Turkey face difficult conditions in the short term, following the re-election of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president in May 2023 in a tightly contested run-off. In the same month the alliance led by his Justice and Development Party (AKP) won a majority in parliament. Mr Erdogan

Read More »

Consumer Goods and Retail Report Indonesia 1st Quarter 2025

Consumer goods and retail report: Overview Indonesia is a major market in South-east Asia. Its large population and rising income levels make it appealing for retail investors. After suffering a cost-of-living crisis during the pandemic, positive structural factors like rising disposable income levels, urbanisation and consumer resilience point to a

Read More »

Automotive Report Russia 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, its automotive industry has been altered. Chinese vehicles, along with domestic brands produced by AvtoVAZ (the flagship Russian manufacturer, which was owned by France’s Renault before the start of the war), now dominate the market. Although government

Read More »

Automotive Report Mexico 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview Mexico is a regional production hub for the automotive industry, which generates about 4% of the country’s GDP. Vehicle exports have rebounded strongly after a sharp decline in 2020, growing for four consecutive years on the back of recovering US demand and easing supply-chain disruptions, with annual

Read More »

Financial Services Report India 1st Quarter 2025

Overview India’s financial services sector has recovered well in recent years from a domestic bad-loans crisis and the global turmoil caused by covid-19. Its banks recorded three consecutive years of record profits in 2021-23, and these profits are likely to rise further, as India looks set to be the fastest-growing

Read More »

Most Recent Industry Reports

Consumer Goods and Retail Report Saudi Arabia January 2025

Consumer goods and retail report: Overview Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East, driven by its oil sector which makes up some 40% of GDP. It is the most populous country in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), a six-nation regional economic bloc, with a youthful population, which

Read More »

Healthcare Report Hong Kong January 2025

Healthcare report: Healthcare spending Overview EIU forecasts that Hong Kong’s real GDP will increase by 2.4% in 2025-a slight moderation from 2.5% real growth in 2024. Private consumption will slow as the post-pandemic rebound settles, but this will be offset by acceleration in export growth alongside increasing demands for Chinese

Read More »

Healthcare Report Egypt January 2025

Healthcare report: Healthcare spending Overview EIU estimates that Egypt’s healthcare expenditure was equivalent to 4.8% of its GDP in 2024, far below the OECD average. We expect healthcare spending to increase to about 5.2% of GDP on average in our 2025-29 forecast period as inflation eases. The continued rollout of

Read More »

Automotive Report United Kingdom 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview The automotive sector is an integral part of UK manufacturing, comprising 11% of goods exports and directly employing about 190,000 people. However, vehicle production has fallen sharply since 2016. The outlook for the sector is challenging amid intensifying global competition (especially from China) and trade protectionism, the

Read More »

Automotive Report United States 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview The US is the world’s second-largest vehicle producer and market after China. Its automotive industry is closely integrated with those of Mexico and Canada. The North American automotive sector as a whole is currently in a state of considerable flux, caused by the rapid but inconsistent shift

Read More »

Financial Services Report Turkey 1st Quarter 2025

Overview Financial firms in Turkey face difficult conditions in the short term, following the re-election of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president in May 2023 in a tightly contested run-off. In the same month the alliance led by his Justice and Development Party (AKP) won a majority in parliament. Mr Erdogan

Read More »

Consumer Goods and Retail Report Indonesia 1st Quarter 2025

Consumer goods and retail report: Overview Indonesia is a major market in South-east Asia. Its large population and rising income levels make it appealing for retail investors. After suffering a cost-of-living crisis during the pandemic, positive structural factors like rising disposable income levels, urbanisation and consumer resilience point to a

Read More »

Automotive Report Russia 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, its automotive industry has been altered. Chinese vehicles, along with domestic brands produced by AvtoVAZ (the flagship Russian manufacturer, which was owned by France’s Renault before the start of the war), now dominate the market. Although government

Read More »

Automotive Report Mexico 1st Quarter 2025

Automotive report: Overview Mexico is a regional production hub for the automotive industry, which generates about 4% of the country’s GDP. Vehicle exports have rebounded strongly after a sharp decline in 2020, growing for four consecutive years on the back of recovering US demand and easing supply-chain disruptions, with annual

Read More »

Financial Services Report India 1st Quarter 2025

Overview India’s financial services sector has recovered well in recent years from a domestic bad-loans crisis and the global turmoil caused by covid-19. Its banks recorded three consecutive years of record profits in 2021-23, and these profits are likely to rise further, as India looks set to be the fastest-growing

Read More »