An energy shock caused by an escalation of the war between Hamas and Israel would have obvious similarities with that which followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But we think that ECB policymakers would be less worried about the “second-round” effects on …
31st October 2023
Our View: Growth in the US and other advanced economies will disappoint, keeping pressure on “risky” assets but favouring “safe” ones. But when the economic environment improves, “riskier” assets will rebound, with equities further boosted by enthusiasm …
Morocco’s automobile sector has gone from strength to strength in the past decade, with production now rivalling some producers in Central and Eastern Europe. With investment from major global automobile firms increasing and supply chains deepening, the …
Emerging Asia Chart Pack (Oct. 2023) …
Surge in house prices continues Another large gain in house prices in August suggests that the extremely limited supply of existing homes for sale continued to outweigh high mortgage rates. We think monthly gains in house prices will soften over the …
Sharper slowdown in wage growth still lies ahead The slightly stronger 1.1% increase in the employment cost index in the third quarter is another sign that the earlier rapid easing in labour market conditions may be fading, but the forward-looking …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. The surprise stagnation in August and preliminary estimate that GDP was unchanged again in September imply that third-quarter GDP probably edged down by 0.1% annualised, marking …
Another solid quarter, but slowdown awaits Mexico’s economy posted solid growth of 0.9% q/q in Q3, but we still think a slowdown is on the cards over the coming quarters as tight monetary policy takes a heavier toll and weaker growth in the US weighs on …
The dollar stayed strong in October but failed to add much to its broad-based rally since July. We think elevated US yields are likely to keep the greenback on the front foot, particularly if risk sentiment continues to deteriorate. However, while we …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Inflation falling as economy flat-lines The euro-zone economy contracted in Q3 and the continued weakness of the surveys at the start of Q4 suggests that the outlook is poor. …
This page has been updated with additional analysis and charts since first publication. Economy narrowly avoids another contraction Hong Kong’s economy largely treaded water in Q3, underperforming most expectations. A jump in investment and a pick-up in …
Recession deepens on the back of voluntary oil production cut Saudi Arabia’s flash GDP estimate showed that the recession deepened in Q3, with GDP contracting by 3.9% q/q, after the Kingdom implemented an additional voluntary 1mn bpd oil output cut and …
Sharp fall in inflation, another interest rate cut incoming The drop in Polish inflation to 6.5% y/y in October was larger than expected and should pave the way for another 25bp interest rate cut by the central bank next week (to 5.50%). The decline from …
Czech economy flirting with recession again The 0.3% q/q decline in Czech GDP in Q3 was worse than expected, and suggests that the economy will probably contract over the year as a whole. This weakness in the economy also increases the likelihood that the …
Economic growth in Taiwan accelerated sharply in Q3, driven primarily by a jump in exports. However, we don’t think the strength of the recovery will last – we expect growth to slow over the next two quarters due to renewed weakness in external demand and …
The Bank of Japan today de facto abolished Yield Curve Control and we think policymakers will call time on negative interest rates as soon as January . A casual reading of today’s statement would suggest that policy settings were left unchanged: the Bank …
Narrowly avoiding recession The slowdown in French GDP growth from an upwardly-revised +0.6% q/q in Q2 to only 0.1% in Q3 (see Chart 1) was a little better than the consensus and our own forecast (+0.1% and -0.2% q/q) and means GDP was 1.8% larger than …
RBA will hike by 25bp next week as inflation and labour market continue to run hot But there will be a high bar for additional tightening further down the road As the economy takes a turn for the worse, rate cuts still likely in Q2 2024 With inflation …
We are resending this publication because it was incorrectly sent as a Japan Economics Update. Note: We'll be discussing h ow much of a threat are surging bond yields to Asia’s economies in our Asia Drop-in today, 31st October. Register here to join the …
Note: We'll be discussing h ow much of a threat are surging bond yields to Asia’s economies in our Asia Drop-in today, 31st October. Register here to join the online briefing. Bank of Japan will tighten policy further next year The Bank of Japan today de …
This page was first published on Tuesday 31 st October, covering the official PMIs. We added commentary on the Caixin manufacturing PMI on Wednesday 1 st November, and the Caixin services and composite PMI on Friday 3 rd November. Note: We discussed h …
Note: We'll be discussing h ow much of a threat are surging bond yields to Asia’s economies in our Asia Drop-in today, 31st October. Register here to join the online briefing. This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. …
30th October 2023
On the back of upward adjustments to our 10-Year Treasury yield forecasts, we now expect to see a larger increase in cap rates. This will see office cap rates rise to over 6.5% by end-2024, pushing the peak-to-trough price fall for the sector to more than …
We expect the fortunes of safe assets to improve over the rest of this year, largely informed by our belief that investors are underestimating how quickly and/or how far central banks will cut interest rates over the next couple of years. And while we …
A renewed surge in the spreads of private-label commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), at a time when the spreads of high-yield (HY) corporate bonds have remained fairly subdued (see Chart 1), has attracted little attention in US bond markets amid …
London house prices have fallen by less than we anticipated, and stopped falling altogether in Q3. However, the high level of house prices compared to incomes should mean that higher mortgage rates weigh particularly heavily on demand from mortgaged …
While we think sticky core inflation will mean that the Bank of England keeps interest rates at their peak of 5.25% until late in 2024, we think the markets have gone too far in concluding that rates will still be as high as 4.50% by the end of 2025. We …
European investment fell sharply again in Q3 but with interest rates at their peak we think the downturn will soon bottom out. However, our upgraded bond yield forecasts indicate only a limited easing of financing conditions next year, so we think the …
While we think the cyclical forces that have weakened the relationship between commodity prices and “commodity currencies” will fade before long, we suspect some structural factors – namely the US’s ongoing shift to becoming an energy exporter – mean that …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Sentiment ticks up, recovery slowing taking shape The European Commission's Economic Sentiment Indicators for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) were another mixed bag in October, …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Economy struggling, labour market coming off the boil, price pressures easing October’s business and consumer survey from the European Commission added to the evidence that the …
China’s economy is regaining some momentum after stalling during the summer. A step up in policy support looks set to deliver a modest cyclical recovery but trend growth remains under pressure. … China Chart Pack (Oct. …
Net lending to property totaled £132mn in September, the lowest amount since February. But looking through the monthly volatility, on a 3-month basis lending has totaled more than £1.5bn in every month since March. That compares to an average of £620m …
Approvals bottom out, but will remain low The drop in mortgage approvals in September left them a third below their usual level in the years leading up to the pandemic as high mortgage rates put homeowners off moving and priced many first-time buyers out …
Note: We’ll be discussing the latest Fed, ECB and Bank of England policy decisions in a Drop-In at 3pm GMT on Thursday 2 nd November . (Register here .) This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Drag on lending and …
Foreign direct investment into China, as measured by the balance of payments data, has collapsed. It is tempting to pin this on global fragmentation or a loss of confidence in China’s economic prospects. But the key driver appears to be more prosaic: the …
“Sick” German economy slipping back into recession The small decline in German GDP in the third quarter and upward revision to the previous two quarters means the economy is not doing quite as poorly as anticipated. But GDP has essentially been stagnant …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Pause in the recession Preliminary data released this morning show that the Swedish economy flatlined in Q3 (0.0% q/q) after contracting sharply in the second quarter (-0.8%). …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Surge in retail sales bolsters case for policy tightening With Australia’s retail recession likely having ended last quarter, it’s all but certain that the Reserve Bank of …
It's Fed week and Deputy Chief US Economist joins David Wilder to discuss what to expect from the Tuesday-Wednesday FOMC meeting, including how the recent surge in long bond yields could influence the decision and accompanying language. Andrew also …
29th October 2023
Which countries are leading the AI race? What role is AI playing amid growing strategic competition between the US and China? Does AI spell doom for EM outsourcing industries? Moneli Hall-Harris from our Consultancy division and Deputy Chief EM …
20th October 2023
5% Treasury yields, geopolitics vs the Fed, China’s dollar dilemma, an AI stock bubble and more …
Despite another week of broadly dollar-positive news, the greenback has continued to drift sideways – suggesting its rally since July is running out of steam. Even though US Q3 GDP came in at nearly 5% annualised growth, while data in Europe continued to …
27th October 2023
Today’s rebound in Amazon’s share price following news that its sales were better than expected in Q3 has shored up the performance of the ‘Magnificent 7’ in what has otherwise been a tough week for most of them amid a mixed bag of reports, lingering …
European natural gas prices have fallen a long way from their 2022 peaks and the possibility of another energy crisis this winter now looks remote. However, prices are still much higher than they were before the pandemic and much higher than in the US – …
The conflict between Israel and Hamas continued to drive commodity prices this week. Oil prices fell back while gold prices defied the stronger dollar and held steady. Elsewhere, forecasts of cold weather sent US natural gas prices soaring. (See Chart …
