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The big picture

S&P's upgrade of Kazakhstan to BBB rests on resilience and reserves, with inflation falling to 10.2% and growth at 5.1%. The upgrade lowers sovereign borrowing costs, a direct benefit for holders of Kazakh debt. Meanwhile, two central bank papers challenge conventional wisdom: the Fed's IFDP shows limited foresight breaks Barro's tax smoothing, and the BoE quantifies that capital gains tax cuts raise stock volatility by 35%. These research threads point to repricing risks in both fiscal and equity markets.

On the watchlist

  • 2026-09-01: S&P's next scheduled review of Kazakhstan's outlook, to see if the stable outlook is maintained.
  • 2026-08-30: Release of the Fed's minutes from the July FOMC meeting, for any discussion of productivity shocks and inflation.
  • 2026-09-15: Bank of England's next policy decision, to see if the productivity shock analysis influences their inflation forecast.
  • 2026-09-10: Peru's central bank announces its September rate decision, with credit growth at 4% y/y.
  • 2026-08-28: US 10-year Treasury yield, watch for a break above the highest level reached this quarter.

Top stories

1Kazakhstan upgraded to BBB on resilience and reservesFX & Emerging Markets

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3Tax Smoothing Fails Under Limited Foresight★ Barely reportedRates & Bonds
Fed

In brief

Everything else the public institutions published today: 14 items on 5 axes — what each axis adds up to, then its items by weight.

Commodities & Energy 1 item

Monthly Statistical Bulletin - June 2026 — Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)

No direct market impact 2 items

Release Calendar — Ghana Statistical Services

A further 11 items were discarded as irrelevant for this audience.

Continued from the previous run, no material development (5)

21.08.2026 Information on the use of services of licensed investment companies in the Republic of Azerbaijan · Orange Tropical Cyclone SAUDEL-26 in Northern Mariana Islands, Japan from: 18 Aug 2026 to: 22 Aug 2026 . · Population and Society · 2026-08-22 - Cash - Access to cash · Monthly statistical bulletin