In Case You Missed It: How much of this surprised you?

US GDP beat expectations, the ECB says nothing at all and the Bank of Japan abandons inflation target timing. We explain why we're revising our yuan and Indian rupee forecast. And if robots are taking over jobs in Belgium, how safe is yours?

In this bundle

US GDP: 1Q good… 2Q GREAT!

US GDP grew 2.3% in 1Q despite tough comparisons and a legacy of seasonal adjustment headwinds. We think it will be above 3% in 2Q

Silence is golden – the ECB way

A somewhat more cautious ECB plays it safe and buys time the least entertaining way. Crunch time will come in June…or July…or…

Japan

BoJ tweaks its statement - this could be important

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) has removed any reference to reaching its 2% inflation target by some time around fiscal 2019 in its latest statement - this can…

India

The Indian Rupee’s plight is far from over

Expect the rupee's depreciation to nudge the central bank closer to a rate hike but for now, we see USD/INR ending the year at 68.3, higher than our…

China: Revising our yuan forecast

We are revising our yuan forecast to a milder appreciation in 2018 and 2019 because of a weaker business environment and escalating trade and investment…

Belgium

Belgium: Automation-induced shifts in the labour market

Technological progress is gaining strength. Even though most people see the benefits of this, there is also some concern for the negative effects on the…