Our Insights

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey has been a notable beneficiary of soaring gold prices.

In an increasingly fractured global economy, ASEAN policymakers have been discussing greater regional self-sufficiency: trading more within the Southeast Asian economic bloc, rather than relying on large external markets – i.e. the US.

The "bond vigilantes" are back in Japan amid Sanae Takaichi's plans to spend more and cut taxes. The Japanese prime minister is putting her policies to the voters in a Feb. 8 snap election, aiming to capitalize on the popularity of this agenda despite fatigue with her LDP party.

Recent developments in China-Japan trade relations have drawn attention. Rare-earth elements, magnets, chemicals and technology-related components could be affected.

Our proprietary food index for Indonesia is providing a heads up for yet-to-be-released official inflation statistics – suggesting a sharp slowdown after a late 2025 price surge.

The EU reached a historic trade deal this month even as Donald Trump threatened to tariff European countries. After 25 years of talks, Mercosur – the 5-nation South American bloc led by Brazil and Argentina – signed a deal creating one of the largest free-trade areas in the world.

Donald Trump called off planned tariffs on European military allies that opposed his vow to acquire Greenland, but it's worth examining US trade relationships that were in the balance.

GDPNow has just seen another sudden revision: after US trade figures for October were released on Jan. 8, the nowcast was revised to a 5%-plus rate of real-time economic growth – a jump of two percentage points and a two-year high.

Christmas saw a weaker seasonal spending impulse across advanced economies. While households continued to spend through the year, the traditional end-of-year uplift narrowed materially, particularly for discretionary items such as electronics, clothing and sporting goods.

Christmas saw a weaker seasonal spending impulse across advanced economies. While households continued to spend through the year, the traditional end-of-year uplift narrowed materially, particularly for discretionary items such as electronics, clothing and sporting goods.

Indonesia's rupiah has been approaching all-time lows, driven by persistent fiscal concerns. It's worth observing how a long-time relationship is breaking down.

CEIC recently added thematic datasets on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China's signature international investment strategy.