Economic Reports Economic Forecasting

PRETORIA, Sept 20- South Africa's central bank left its benchmark repo rate on hold at 6.5 percent on Thursday, saying that the bank would continue to be vigilant as the inflation outlook had deteriorated since its last meeting in July.

ISTANBUL— Turkey expects lower economic growth in coming years amid concerns over inflation and a sliding currency. Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak presented the government's economic plan Thursday, which estimates 2.3 percent growth in 2019 and 3.5 percent in 2020. Investors have been selling the Turkish currency because they're worried by...

ANKARA, Sept 20- Turkey sharply cut its growth forecasts for this year and next on Thursday, but disappointed investors who had hoped for deeper reductions that reflected the fragile state of the economy and a plan to help banks. Turkey has seen its lira currency plunge by 40 percent this year on concerns over President Tayyip Erdogan's influence over monetary...

ANKARA, Sept 20- Turkey sharply cut its growth forecasts for this year and next in its new medium-term economic program on Thursday, amid a deep currency crisis that has seen the lira fall by 40 percent this year. Finance minister Berat Albayrak's presentation showed growth was expected to be 3.8 in 2018 and 2.3 percent in 2019, both revised down from previous...

ANKARA, Sept 20- Turkey sharply cut its growth forecasts for this year and next in its new medium-term economic programme on Thursday, amid a deep currency crisis that has seen the lira fall by 40 percent this year. Sources had said Turkey would cut its economic growth estimates, although they had said there was debate among top government officials about the...

PARIS, Sept 20- The following are growth forecasts for the major economies covered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in its interim outlook. Forecasts are for year-on-year real GDP percentage changes and figures in parenthesis compare with forecasts from the OECD's last economic outlook published in May. 2017 2018 2019 World 3.6...

PARIS, Sept 20- Global economic growth has peaked out in the face of rising trade frictions and emerging market turbulence, the OECD said on Thursday, trimming its earlier outlook. The OECD said trade growth, the engine behind the global upswing in recent years, had slowed this year to around three percent from five percent in 2017 as tensions between the United...

ZURICH, Sept 20- The Swiss National Bank kept its ultra-loose monetary policy in place on Thursday, citing the "fragile" exchange rate situation and rising international trade tensions and protectionism. The SNB kept its target range for the three-month London Interbank Offered Rate at -1.25 to -0.25 percent, as unanimously forecast by 36 economists polled by...

*Albayrak to roll out new economic program. ANKARA, Sept 19- Turkey will on Thursday cut its growth forecasts for this year and next amid a deep currency crisis, although the extent of next year's revision is still being debated by top government officials, sources said. Finance Minister Berat Albayrak is due to announce the forecasts in a new medium-term program...

ZURICH, Sept 19- Switzerland's export-led economy could post its strongest growth since 2010 this year, but rising global risks like an escalating trade war pose a threat for 2019, the government said on Wednesday. But the buildup of tariffs the United States and China are imposing on each other may spill over into Europe, and Italy's anti-establishment...

*Japan Aug exports up 6.6 pct yr/yr, beating f'cast. TOKYO, Sept 19- Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Wednesday stressed that he won't pull the plug on monetary easing until inflation hits his 2 percent target, warning that escalating international trade disputes could inflict widespread damage to global growth. Yet, reinforcing premier Shinzo Abe's...

*Japan's economy expanding moderately- BOJ. TOKYO, Sept 19- Japan's exports rose in August and its central bank kept its view the economy was expanding modestly, but policy makers and analysts warned of risks to the outlook from a U.S.-led trade war that some fear could chill global investment and growth. The Bank of Japan and many of its overseas counterparts have...

TOKYO, Sept 19- The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady on Wednesday and maintained its optimistic view on the economy, even as escalating global trade frictions clouded the outlook. The decision on maintaining its interest rate targets was made by a 7-2 vote with board members Goushi Kataoka and Yutaka Harada dissenting. BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda...

*China slowdown, Quantitative Tightening increasing risks. LONDON, Sept 18- Investors cut equity exposure this month as they grew more wary that economic growth may slow, but kept a long-standing preference for mega-cap tech stocks, Bank of America Merrill Lynch's monthly survey indicated on Tuesday. This was the worst such outlook since December 2001.

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 17- Argentina's battered peso currency inched higher and the risk of its bonds defaulting declined on Monday after the government unveiled its budget plan and the IMF said "important progress" had been made on revamping the country's standby loan agreement. The currency has lost over 6 percent of its value against the dollar this month and...

BUENOS AIRES, Sept 17- Argentina's battered peso currency inched higher and the risk of its bonds defaulting declined on Monday after the government unveiled its budget plan and the IMF said "important progress" had been made on revamping the country's standby loan agreement. The currency has lost more than half its value against the dollar so far this year as...