Prague’s self-destructive austerity
The Czechs have always been a bit stiffer and more conservative than their sometimes wilder central European neighbours – something being borne out in the increasingly divergent ways in which the Czech...
View ArticleBulgaria stays cool on the euro
Bulgaria’s decision to freeze its bid for euro membership comes as little surprise and is likely to have little immediate effect. But it highlights the waning appeal of joining the eurozone – as well...
View ArticleCzech Republic nears the zero-bound. What next – quantitative easing?
The Czech National Bank cut interest rates by a quarter point on Thursday – as widely expected – taking its benchmark rate to an all-time low of 0.25 per cent in a bid to get the country’s moribund...
View ArticleCentral Europe still faltering despite signs that eurozone has bottomed out
The core economies of central Europe are continuing to show signs of a slowdown, despite some signals that the downturn may have bottomed out in the eurozone and in Germany – the original sources of...
View ArticleFund file: Romania privatisation hope
Given all the eurozone bad press, it is unusual to hear from a man who can’t wait for the day when his country enters into the single currency. But, as a report in Monday’s FTfm explains, for one...
View ArticlePanama: stop that eurozone, we want to get on
These are tough times for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor: a nasty welcome in Athens last week, an increasingly contentious conflict with François Hollande, the French president, over banking...
View ArticleAsia: goodbye savings, hello bonds
The crisis in the eurozone has been causing plenty of worries in Asia – particularly around the supply of credit to the region. But the bigger problem for many countries lies closer to home – in a...
View ArticlePoland rates: enter the easing cycle
Poland’s slowing economy prompted the central bank’s interest rate-stetting Monetary Policy Council on Wednesday to cut its benchmark rate by a quarter point to 4.5 per cent – the first step in what...
View ArticleRussian rates: election boost is over, time to worry about growth
Russia’s central bank kept its policy interest rates unchanged on Friday morning, as widely expected. But the non-event is worth noticing as it shows the Russian economy moving into its post-election...
View ArticleOECD: EMs and the eurozone hit
The OECD Economic Outlook, published on Tuesday, has rung a few alarm bells for developed economies, as the FT reports. But what about emerging economies? What’s the impact on them from the eurozone...
View ArticleGreece: not yet an EM, but something for the adventurous investor
By David Edgerly Given the endless sovereign debt crisis in Greece, the collapse of the economy, the chaos and corruption of the country’s politics it is perhaps understandable that reasonable...
View ArticleLatvia goes for the euro
Premier Dombrovskis A vote of confidence in the euro: Latvia on Monday formally decided to join the troubled common currency, with the prime minister, finance minister and central bank governor jointly...
View ArticleGuest post: Slovenia – not as bad as Cyprus?
By Petra Lesjak of KD Funds Alenka Bratušek became Slovenia’s new prime minister last week, the first female head of government of this Alpine state of 2m people. She could hardly have had a tougher...
View ArticlePoland and the euro: closer
In or out? That’s the question as Poland’s leaders send mixed messages about just how aggressively the country plans to move towards adopting the euro. Donald Tusk, the prime minister, was in Berlin on...
View Article[video] Estonia’s euro advice for Latvia
Latvia hopes to become the 18th EU member state to join the eurozone. Estonia became the 17th in 2011. The FT’s Nordic and Baltic correspondent Richard Milne spoke to the President of Estonia, Toomas...
View ArticlePoland-Czech-euro: date or no date?
Poland and the Czech Republic seem to be heading in different directions over the euro. The Czech Republic has long been one of the region’s greatest sceptics on joining the common currency, preferring...
View ArticleSlovenia’s ratings: why so varied?
Credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded Slovenia on Tuesday to junk status, citing its weak banking system. After its being so often compared to Cyprus, you might think that’s fair enough. But the...
View ArticleEBRD: sharpish cut in forecasts
Rarely has a forecast been cut so fast. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on Friday slashed its 2013 growth forecast for the emerging economies of central and eastern Europe and...
View ArticleSlovenia: family silver for sale
Question: What’s the link between a national airline, a global-brand ski factory and an organic flour producer? Answer: none at all, except in Slovenia, where any half-aware citizen would immediately...
View ArticleCzech GDP: it gets worse
The Czech Republic is in a terrible downturn that shows no sign of coming to an end with new flash GDP data showing a first quarter annual contraction of 1.9 per cent, much worse than analysts had...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....