US Rapid Response US Retail Sales (Feb 2026) The stronger-than-expected 0.5% m/m increase in control group retail sales in February suggests that consumption was gaining some momentum ahead of the surge in gasoline prices. Nonetheless... 1st April 2026 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update How would fuel rationing affect Australia’s economy? Australia’s supply of petroleum products will dwindle over the coming weeks, which could prompt the government to impose fuel rationing. It seems likely that any restrictions will initially target... 1st April 2026 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update RBNZ won’t spring into action just yet Financial markets are betting that the RBNZ will deliver its first rate hike in Q3, with aggressive tightening to follow thereafter. However, we suspect they are getting ahead of themselves, not least... 1st April 2026 · 7 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update Australian housing market poised for a downturn Australian house prices have lost some momentum in recent months. With the Reserve Bank of Australia set to hike rates to 4.60% in the coming months, we think house prices will fall outright before... 1st April 2026 · 4 mins read
Japan Rapid Response Japan Tankan (Q1 26) The Tankan survey showed that firms are shrugging off the energy shock caused by the Iran war, which should encourage the BoJ to hike rates at this month’s meeting. 1st April 2026 · 2 mins read
US Economics Update Time to bet against the American consumer? The backdrop of a struggling labour market, already low saving and weak consumer confidence makes it more likely that households will respond to latest real income shock by cutting spending, rather... 31st March 2026 · 5 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US Case-Shiller/FHFA House Prices (Jan. 2026) House prices already losing momentum prior to Iran war The softer 0.2% m/m rise in house prices in January supports our view that the housing market was already losing momentum before the recent jump... 31st March 2026 · 2 mins read
Canada Rapid Response Canada GDP (Jan. 2026) The rise in GDP in January and projected gain in February leaves first-quarter growth roughly in line with the Bank of Canada’s most recent estimates. While this is still consistent with the Bank... 31st March 2026 · 2 mins read
Global Economics Update What are the potential implications of Houthi Attacks? While the direct effect of renewed strikes on shipping in the Red Sea on aggregate world trade is likely to be limited, the impact on Asian economies that rely more heavily on oil imports from Saudi... 31st March 2026 · 4 mins read
UK Housing Market Rapid Response UK Nationwide House Prices (Mar. 2026) The big rise in the Nationwide measure of house prices in March suggests that, so far at least, house prices are proving resilient to the leap in mortgage rates since the start of the Iran war. But we... 31st March 2026 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK GDP (Q4 2025 Final) The confirmation that real GDP grew by just 0.1% q/q in Q4 of last year is a reminder that the economic backdrop is much weaker now than the last time energy prices surged in 2022. 31st March 2026 · 3 mins read
Japan Rapid Response Japan Activity & Labour Market (Feb. 26), Tokyo CPI (Mar. 26) The February activity data show that Japan’s economy approached the Iran war with solid momentum and with inflation unlikely to surge, we expect any hit to activity from higher energy costs to be... 31st March 2026 · 2 mins read
Global Economics Update Will the Iran war undermine AI investment? The Iran war could take some of the momentum out of the AI investment boom but we doubt that it will fundamentally disrupt the overall build-out. 30th March 2026 · 5 mins read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK Money & Lending (Feb. 2026) The subdued growth rates of the money supply ahead of the Iran war suggest the burst of inflation triggered by higher energy prices is more likely to be short-lived rather than long-lasting. 30th March 2026 · 3 mins read
Japan Economics Focus Government’s interest revenue will surpass payments The interest receipts of Japan’s government have risen faster than its interest payments in recent years and we think that will continue even as the 10-year JGB yield has climbed to a 29-year high. In... 30th March 2026 · 10 mins read