Thursday, April 30, 2009

EconNews Roundup

The shopping malls index: Formed by the Association of Shopping Malls.

BRSA Chief Bilgin says banking profits may rise in the second quarter. That's what banking on rate cuts is all about.

Speaking of rate cuts, the Central Banks continues to be dovish on its latest meeting summary as well as today's inflation report. With the Bank predicting inflation in the 4.8%-7.2% range now (midpoint 6%), my expectation of 7%-7.5% sits right at the upper band of the Bank's prediction. If were to choose between my and theirs estimates, I would go for theirs, but I still can not figure how come inflation will not crawl upwards after falling fast in the next few months. Moreover, it is still a long way off, but the 5.3% and 4.9% predictions for 2010 and 2011 get me confused as well- especially since demand conditions would not be as favorable to inflation then.

The sixth and seventh crisis packages are on the way. According to Vice PM Ekren, these have two focal points. One is the much-talked-about credit guarantee fund. The other is, in Ekren's words,
to strengthen firms’ sustainability. We have begun to put in to motion a new incentive system to provide better support for the real economy. We will start up a company restructuring period, which would reshape the real sector’s scale, financial distress and strategic vision.
Years and years devoted to the study of Economics and I have no clue whatsoever these mean. Maybe, that's why he is the minister in charge of economic coordination and I am just a lowly columnist...

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