Global recession seals real estate downturn In line with changes in our global economic view, we have made significant downgrades to our commercial real estate forecasts for the next couple of years. As a result, we now expect a much bigger drop in property values next year that will cause annual returns to be negative in all our key markets. In view of the wider interest, we are also sending this UK Commercial Property Update to clients of our US and Europe Commercial Property Services. 8th November 2022
Fracturing and financial flows The trend towards ever more “financial globalisation” has already decelerated and will probably slow further as the global economy fractures and policymakers favour resilience over efficiency. While a disorderly rupture of financial relations remains unlikely, links between the US and China will weaken. 6th October 2022
The signs of shifting cycles In recent weeks, attention has shifted from the likely size of rates hikes towards the timing of peaks and the prospect of ultimate cuts. History can tell us little about the likely profile since no two cycles have been quite the same. And central bank communications are not a reliable guide either – they have tended to warn of further tightening to come months after the peak has been reached in the past. Instead, we will have to monitor the incoming data very closely. Weakness in the housing market and signs of a let-up in underlying price pressures in Canada and the US, respectively, support our forecast that they will cut sooner and/or more aggressively than is typically assumed. 10th November 2022
Bonds may outperform equities amid a global recession After moving in broadly the same direction for much of 2022, we think that the returns from “safe” assets will generally diverge from those from “risky” assets between now and around the middle of next year. We suspect that long-dated government bond yields have peaked in most places and will fall back further as inflation eases and the global economy enters a recession. Meanwhile, we expect this to mean that most risky assets continue to struggle, despite lower “risk-free” interest rates. That said, we think that risky assets will generally rebound later on in 2023 and in 2024, as the global economy eventually turns a corner and government bond yields continue to edge lower. EM Drop-In (Thursday 3rd Nov): This 20-minute emerging markets briefing will take in our latest views on how the macroeconomic picture will inform EM financial markets, what Brazil’s election result means for the country’s economic outlook and our forecasts for Hungary’s forint and the Colombian peso. Register here. 1st November 2022
Early zero-COVID exit would hurt economy in 2023 A shift away from zero-COVID would be positive for China’s economy over the medium term. But the immediate disruption of reopening would probably exceed the cost of keeping the policy in place, especially if vaccine coverage among the elderly hadn’t risen substantially ahead of any shift. If China were to abandon zero-COVID now, that would warrant a lower not higher GDP forecast for next year. 10th November 2022
Broad-based decline in core inflation coming soon Despite the unanticipated strength in recent months, there are still good reasons to expect core inflation to fall markedly next year. That moderation will not require a deep recession and/or significant rise in the unemployment rate, although we do expect weak demand and easing labour market conditions to play a supporting role. Most of the coming decline in core inflation is already “baked into the cake” – private sector rent measures and other housing indicators point to a significant drop back in shelter cost inflation, while CPI medical care services will fall as the ridiculous spike in health insurance prices is reversed. The stronger dollar, easing supply shortages and collapse in transportation costs all but guarantee a slump in core goods inflation. We expect core CPI inflation to be below 2.5% by end-2023 and core PCE inflation to be around the 2% target. Both measures should fall below 2% in 2024. 2nd November 2022
Don’t miss the bigger picture in natural gas markets While front-month European natural gas prices have fallen sharply as concerns have eased around shortages this winter, longer-dated futures haven’t fallen by as much. That reflects how difficult it will be to fill storage without Russian gas flows next year. With global gas markets becoming increasingly integrated, this is likely to translate into higher US gas and LNG prices too. In view of the wider interest, we are also sending this Energy Update to clients of our Euro-zone service. 4th November 2022
Gold and silver prices to rise next year Gold and silver prices fell following Chair Powell’s hawkish comments yesterday. But if we are right in thinking US rates won’t rise by as much as markets expect, gold and silver prices should increase next year. We forecast prices to rise from $1,630 and $19 per ounce today to $1,700 and $19.5 by end 2023. 3rd November 2022
Recoveries still lagging in the major coastal markets Q2 data showed a mixed picture across the three sectors. For offices, the northern coastal markets continue to lag, with rent growth turning positive but still weaker than most other markets. Houston had an awful quarter for demand, and new supply in Seattle pushed vacancy up quickly there too. In the apartments sector demand slowed across the markets. Southern metros like Miami and Austin continue to see stronger demand, but there were also decent gains elsewhere, including Boston and D.C. And for industrial, there was a rebound in demand after a slow Q1, but it remains below the levels seen in H2 2021. Phoenix was the big winner here, continuing to benefit from extremely low vacancy in LA, Riverside and San Diego. But capital growth slowed notably in Q2 and we expect an even sharper slowdown in Q3 as cap rates face upward pressure. 24th August 2022
Will property be a problem again? The UK property market has a long history of either causing or worsening recessions. But that history has taught both banks and regulators a lesson. So while higher debt payments, falling property prices and a slump in construction will play a major role in dragging the economy into recession, we don’t expect the sector to trigger a banking crisis. Banks have far less exposure to commercial property today compared to the past, while more cautious lending practices have reduced the riskiness of mortgage debt and lenders have plentiful capital buffers to absorb losses. In view of the wider interest, we are also sending this UK Housing Market Update to clients of our UK Commercial Property and UK Economics Services. 19th October 2022
FX Markets Update More reasons why we don’t think the dollar has peaked (yet) Although the rally in the US dollar has seen a significant reversal over recent weeks, indicators from past turning points in the greenback suggest to us that there remains scope for the dollar to... 29th November 2022 · 4 mins read
FX Markets Update We think the rand’s rally will prove short-lived Despite its strength this month, we think the headwinds facing the South African rand remain in place and expect it to reach fresh lows against the US dollar through the middle of next year. In... 23rd November 2022
FX Markets Update High carry may not offer much support to EM currencies High carry emerging market (EM) currencies have generally fared better than their low carry counterparts over recent months, but we doubt this will continue. We think currencies in EM Asia will fare... 18th November 2022
FX Markets Update Negative dollar-oil correlation likely to persist in the short run The negative correlation between the US dollar and the price of oil has reasserted itself in recent months, and we think it will persist as the looming global recession pushes the dollar higher and... 16th November 2022
FX Markets Update We still don’t think the dollar has peaked Despite the recent sharp drop in the greenback, we doubt this is the end of the dollar bull market. 11th November 2022
FX Markets Update China’s zero-COVID policy and currency markets While the renminbi, and many other currencies sensitive to the outlook for China’s economy, have rallied sharply against the dollar on hopes that China will shift away from its “zero-COVID” policy... 10th November 2022
Global Markets Update Tougher times may lie ahead for Brazil’s markets Brazil’s financial markets have been some of the world’s best performers lately, supported in part by the prospect of centrist policymaking by incoming president Lula. With the presidential election... 8th November 2022
Global Markets Update What the latest central bank signals mean for markets The differing tones of the Fed, ECB and BoE at their recent meetings have seen yields rise in the US more than elsewhere and reignited the rally in the US dollar. That pattern could last a few more... 3rd November 2022
Global Markets Update Market strains create new dilemmas for central banks As the recent breakdown of the UK Gilt market illustrates, policymakers face an increasingly difficult trade-off between combating inflation, supporting economic growth and maintaining financial... 26th October 2022
FX Markets Update We think the aussie and kiwi have a bit further to fall We expect the aussie and the kiwi to weaken further against the US dollar and trough around mid-2023. And while we don’t expect the aussie to outperform the kiwi as it has recently, we think it will... 12th October 2022
UK Economics Update BoE’s gilt operations – easy to start, harder to end Given that the surge in gilt yields that has forced the Bank of England to intervene in the market was initially driven by the government’s loose fiscal policies, it makes sense that the Bank may not... 11th October 2022
FX Markets Update Answering your questions on currencies We held a Drop-In on Tuesday to discuss the growing turbulence in FX markets and our views on the major currencies. This Update recaps the key questions we addressed in the Drop-In and answers several... 29th September 2022
Asset Allocation Update Fiscal credibility key for Gilts & sterling Although the latest sell-off in Gilts has been driven in part by expectations for higher interest rates, the accompanying fall in sterling suggests the risk premia attached to UK assets has risen. In... 27th September 2022
Asset Allocation Update What would a policy shift do for China’s markets? The outlook for China’s economy has deteriorated recently, but it still doesn’t look like the PBOC will ease policy much in response. We suspect that if the central bank were to have a change of heart... 16th September 2022
FX Markets Update We expect the yen to reverse course before long We think the yen will strengthen against the US dollar over the next few years, as the headwinds that have driven the currency to multi-decade lows begin to unwind. 13th September 2022
