China: Becoming World’s Biggest Economy?

9 February 2021 China was the only major country to record economic growth in 2020, with GDP expanding 2.3%. Indeed, following three consecutive quarters of expansion, national output is already 6.5% above pre-Covid levels. As we approach Chinese New Year, the IMF optimistically projects 8.1% GDP growth during the year of the Ox. Likewise, I [...]

Asia: Global Growth Engine in 2021

1 December 2020 As the holiday season approaches, much of the world is battling a Second Wave of the Coronavirus. To be sure, world leaders are confronting unprecendented challenges, and tough decisions are required. Throughout the pandemic, many policymakers, as well as members of the media and general public, portray the options as a choice [...]

Emerging Markets: Bracing for More Bad News?

17 April 2020 We have all seen the evidence that investors have deserted Emerging Markets in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, the following Chart illustrates the liquidation of EM assets has been considerably larger than in past episodes, including the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). As a result, the following Chart illustrates that EM [...]

Covid-19: Don’t Suffer a Lack of Imagination

20 March 2020 Initial data from China indicate the economic impact of the Coronavirus and efforts to prevent its spread will be significant. I will make some preliminary global economic projections, although they come with a greater degree of uncertainty than normal. Perhaps more importantly, I will set out some guideposts about how to assess [...]