Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Riksbank preparing for life after physical cash While the Riksbank’s plans for an official digital currency are still in the early stages, we think it is more likely than not that it will launch the e-krona by the mid-2020s. Moreover, we suspect... 20th November 2019 · 7 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swishing in Stockholm We have just returned from two days of client meetings in Stockholm from which the key takeaway is that we are not alone in being puzzled by the Riksbank’s stance. Policymakers seem determined to... 14th November 2019 · 4 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Finland to slow in line with rest of euro-zone Economic growth in Finland outpaced the euro-zone average before the global financial crisis but has been broadly in line with it in recent years. We think that this trend will continue and that... 5th November 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Riksbank hike wouldn’t do much for embattled krona The Riksbank appears determined to raise interest rates into an economic slowdown. While higher policy rates may provide some support for the Swedish krona, we still think that it will continue to... 1st November 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Hawkish Riksbank to reverse course in 2020 Having left its repo rate on hold at -0.25% this morning, we do not doubt the Riksbank’s clear intent to raise it to zero in December. However, with economic growth set to slow in 2020, and underlying... 24th October 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Brighter outlook for Norwegian krone next year While we think that there is still a bit more scope for the Norwegian krone to fall against the euro, we expect the currency to bounce back over the next couple of years, as the country’s terms of... 23rd October 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Green success to meet the realities of Swiss politics The success of environmentalist parties in yesterday’s Federal Elections in Switzerland echoes similar gains elsewhere in Europe in recent months. But given Switzerland’s consensus-based political... 21st October 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Nobel prize money isn’t what it used to be The decades-long downward trend in the Swedish krona means that a Nobel prize in US dollar terms is worth less than half what it was in the early 1990s. With the krona set to fall further by year-end... 14th October 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Riksbank to get no cover from fiscal policy Calls for any fiscal stimulus to support the Swedish economy are likely to fall on deaf ears, so the burden will continue to be entirely on the Riksbank. A combination of a dovish shift by the Bank... 9th October 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Icelandic easing cycle has further to run Having cut its key interest rate by 25bps this morning, we now expect the Central Bank of Iceland (CBI) to stay in easing mode over the coming months and to reduce rates to 2.75% by year-end. 2nd October 2019 · 2 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update New (lower) forecasts for Swiss GDP The latest business surveys from Switzerland indicate that the woes in Germany are posing an increasing drag on activity. We have therefore revised our forecasts for Swiss GDP growth down to just 0.5%... 30th September 2019 · 2 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update A primer on Norwegian interest rate expectations Assessing investors’ expectations about the future path of policy interest rates in Norway is not as straightforward as it is in other countries, not least neighbouring Sweden. In this Update we... 27th September 2019 · 6 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swiss manufacturing “strength” masks ailing sectors Most of the recent outperformance of Switzerland’s manufacturing sector relative to Germany’s reflects strong growth in pharmaceuticals. But this has masked struggles in more Germany-facing sectors. 26th September 2019 · 2 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Currency ceiling to come back into the SNB’s toolkit Given that the SNB’s policy rate is already at -0.75%, fears of hitting the so-called ‘reversal rate’ are likely to make it unwilling to cut rates much further. With the ECB once again in easing mode... 25th September 2019 · 6 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update A closer look at the SNB’s new tiering system The changes to the SNB’s tiering system, announced yesterday, are even more generous to domestic banks than they initially appear, and will help to ‘sugar the pill’ ahead of a probable rate cut. 20th September 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Norway bucks the dovish trend for the last time This morning’s decision by the Norges Bank to raise its key policy rate by 25bps, to 1.50%, was is in stark contrast to the rate cuts delivered by the Fed and the ECB over the past week. Nonetheless... 19th September 2019 · 3 mins read
