Business Monitor International (BMI) has just published a special report ‘Fracking Goes Global: State of Play and Outlook’, which examines the latest developments, opportunities and outlook for the global unconventional oil and gas sector, focusing on the proliferation of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) techniques and the impact this will have on energy industries and economies. The… [Read more]
In recent years, there have been indications that the Sahel region of Africa is emerging as a safe haven for Islamist militants. France’s intervention in Mali and the subsequent hostage crisis at the In Amenas gas plant in eastern Algeria last week appear to confirm this trend. There are several reasons why the Sahel is… [Read more]
Over the weekend, French President Francois Hollande ordered airstrikes against Islamist militias occupying northern Mali, thus escalating the crisis in the West African state. He also launched an unsuccessful mission to rescue a French secret agent being held hostage in Somalia. Earlier today, Business Monitor Online published analysis on the unfolding events in Mali. The… [Read more]
Last autumn, as concerns about Italy and Spain exploded to the fore, French yields spiked along with those of periphery Europe, turning the spotlight onto the country’s chronic fiscal deficits and declining competitiveness. However, earlier this month, France sold six-month treasury bills at negative yield for the first time in its history. BMI’s France analyst, Thaddeus Best, joins… [Read more]
Seldom has a general election in a small country triggered as much excitement, interest, or nervousness as Greece’s forthcoming vote on Sunday. For all intents and purposes, Greece is the centre of the world right now. Going into a weekend that sees a pivotal election in Greece, my colleagues and I find ourselves cautiously optimistic…. [Read more]
Today’s flash estimates for Q1 eurozone real GDP growth offered a good glimpse of the structural shortcomings of Europe’s monetary union, highlighting the ever-intensifying divergence between the peripheral southern economies and Germany’s Wirtschaftswunder. While German real GDP growth in the first quarter of the year exceeded consensus expectations, with the economy expanding by 0.5% quarter-on-quarter… [Read more]
Although our core views for the eurozone have by-and-large not changed, our roadmap may nonetheless need to be tweaked in light of the French and Greek elections. In the meantime, we highlight a number of indicators across Europe which reflect the heightened degree of financial and economic stress, in turn pointing to further volatility ahead…. [Read more]
