Turkey delivers third consecutive 250-bp rate cut in line with expectations

Policy rate now stands at 42.5% versus official inflation of 39%.

Central Asia and Caucasus are some of the most hazardous places to drive in the world

Traffic-related deaths and injuries taking an economic toll.

Confidence picks up in Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector, February PMI shows

Solid expansion in new orders keeps index comfortably inside growth territory.

Polish manufacturers end nearly three years of depression as PMI moves past 50-point mark

Poland's Purchasing Managers' Index increased 1.8 points to 50.6 in February, the economic intelligence company S&P Global said on March 3.

PMI shows Turkish manufacturing endured another tough month in February

Manufacturers proved reluctant to take on staff or invest in buying in new materials. Headwinds around inflation continued to build.

Serbia reports 16% growth in foreign tourist numbers

Largest numbers of tourists recorded from neighbouring countries, plus Russia and Turkey.

Turkey's official inflation edges below 40% in February

ENAG research group of economists contends rate actually stands at 80%.

Russia’s manufacturing PMI falls back to 50.2 in February

Turkey releases official GDP growth of 3.2% for 2024

The finance industry sought a technical recession and got one. That has now been exited.

Polish GDP growth surge in Q4 confirmed

Poland's GDP growth surged to 3.7% year on year in the fourth quarter (chart), picking up after a revised gain of 2% y/y in the previous quarter, according to seasonally adjusted preliminary data released by the statistical office GUS.

Uzbekistan’s public debt tops $40bn in 2024, borrowing cap exceeded

Indicator has risen from $17.8bn in 2019 and $34.9bn in 2023.

Emirates NBD intermediates 26 eurobond sales by Turkish issuers in 2024

Turkey's eurobond sellers last year raised $33bn from 46 papers, setting an annual record, while redeeming $16bn on 19 papers.

Slovak unemployment inches up to 3.92% in January

The unemployment level in Slovakia (PDU indicator) continued to inch upward in January to 3.92% after it inched up to 3.81% in December. Unemployment dropped year on year by 0.05 percentage points.

Real wages in Hungary rise at fastest pace in 30 years in 2024

Gross wages in Hungary averaged HUF646,800 (€1,620) and net wages came to HUF430,100 last year, both up 13.2% year on year, according to data from the KSH.

Romania’s CFA Society confidence index improves but outlook remains bleak

Romania’s macroeconomic confidence index (chart), compiled by CFA Society Romania, increased by 2.3 points month on month to 40.4 in January. Despite this improvement, it remained below the neutral 50-point threshold.

Borsa Istanbul extends short selling restriction to avoid collapse

Local investors, who dominate the highly manipulated market, have turned to deposits and money market funds. There are no IPOs in the pipeline.

Singapore’s lender OCBC warns of slower loan growth in 2025 after missing profit estimates

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp, Singapore’s second-largest lender, has forecast a slowdown in loan growth for 2025 following a weaker-than-expected rise in fourth-quarter earnings.

Turkey confirms it expects 1.3 bcm of Turkmen gas flows by end-2025

Country continues to push its ambition to become a gas re-export hub, but if sanctions on Russia are lifted amid a deal on Ukraine, that hope could fall apart.

US Treasury targets Iran's National Oil Co. CEO in new sanctions push

The United States imposed a fresh wave of sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, targeting over 30 individuals and tankers, including the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC), for facilitating the sale and transportation of Iranian crude.

Polish PPI moves closer to positive territory in January

Poland's producer price index (PPI) fell 0.9% year on year in January (chart), following a revised fall of 2.7% y/y in December, the country’s statistics office GUS said on January 22.