Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
Although the Bank of Canada kept policy unchanged this week, its signal that it intends to start quantitative tightening soon was more hawkish than most were expecting. In the press conference, Governor Tiff Macklem and the new Senior Deputy Governor, …
28th January 2022
CBRT puts emphasis on “lira-isation” The upward revision to the Turkish central bank’s inflation forecast in its Q1 Inflation Report this week, from 11.8% y/y to 23.2% y/y for end-2022, was just a matter of catching up with reality. The lira has sunk 30% …
The announcement by Argentine President Fernández that the government has reached a new agreement with the IMF, the 22nd in their history, will give some relief to international bondholders in the near term. But this is just the start of a long journey to …
The raft of country-level Q4 GDP data published this morning point to the euro-zone eking out some marginal growth at the end of last year, with Germany contracting by 0.7% q/q. (See here and here .) Nor does the euro-zone appear to have made a strong …
Table of Key Forecasts Overview – Growth across much of the emerging world will be weaker this year than last, with Emerging Europe and China in particular likely to fall short of consensus expectations. The EM monetary tightening cycle will continue, …
Stage set for Riksbank mea culpa in February The 0.3% m/m increase in Sweden’s GDP Indicator in December, released this morning, left it a whopping 4.7% higher than its February 2020 level. (See Chart 1.) We will have to wait until the 28 th February for …
Overview – Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic recovery from the pandemic is likely to remain one of the weakest of any region over 2022-23 and our GDP growth forecasts are generally below the consensus. The latest virus waves already seem to be ebbing, but low …
New Zealand’s inflation surged to a 30-year high of 5.9% in Q4. And while Australia’s 3.5% was much lower, it is well above the RBA’s 2-3% target band. Trimmed mean inflation is about one percentage lower, but business surveys suggest it will rise further …
Underlying inflation set to surpass 3% The 1.0% q/q rise in trimmed mean consumer prices in Q4 was the largest since 2008 and lifted the annual rate to 2.6%. That marked the first time since 2014 that the RBA’s preferred measure of underlying inflation …
The unfavourable growth/inflation trade-off has worsened We think investors are right to price in an interest rate hike in February to 0.50% And we expect rates to rise to 1.25% by end-2022, further than most anticipate The further surge in inflation …
27th January 2022
GDP data for Germany may show that its economy contracted in Q4 (09.00 GMT) The Economic Sentiment Indicator for the euro-zone probably fell this month (10.00 GMT) We think Colombia’s central bank will increase the pace of its policy tightening (18.00 …
The South African Reserve Bank pressed ahead with its tightening cycle by raising the repo rate from 3.75% to 4.00% today as policymakers’ concerns about upside inflation risks and the global monetary policy backdrop increased. Overall, though, the …
Industry across Emerging Europe turned a corner in Q4 as auto production rebounded strongly. This comes amid signs that supply shortages are starting to ease; our proprietary shortages dashboard suggests that product shortages may have peaked. We think …
The decision by Chile’s central bank to deliver a surprisingly large 150bp rate hike yesterday, to 5.50%, supports our view that the tightening cycle will go further than the path it had previously signalled. That said, we think that the dramatic upward …
The Omicron variant is spreading quickly across Asia. Daily virus numbers are now at record levels in Korea, Singapore and the Philippines. However, the economic impact of Omicron is shaping up to be much smaller than previous virus waves. Restrictions, …
Omicron, market sell-off and Ukraine tensions won’t worry the ECB unduly. Lagarde to stress uncertainty over inflation and note rapid house prices increases. We think the Bank will prepare the ground for limited rate hikes next year. The impact of Omicron …
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant in India has caused economic activity to weaken so far in 2022. But the damage has been much less severe than during the previous two outbreaks. (See Chart 1.) Perhaps unsurprisingly, airport traffic has been one of …
Surging inflation will keep RBNZ hiking cycle underway The persistent rise in inflation to the highest levels in 30 years will be worrying the RBNZ. That’s why we expect the Bank to hike aggressively in the first half of this year. Consumer prices rose …
26th January 2022
The Fed’s announcement that it will “soon be appropriate” to raise interest rates and the numerous hints dropped by Chair Jerome Powell in the post-meeting press conference all but guarantee that a March rate hike is coming. Meanwhile, the Fed set out a …
Fed likely to hint that a first rate hike may be forthcoming in March (Wed. 19.00 GMT) We think US GDP grew by 4.6% annualised in Q4 (Thu. 13.30 GMT) We expect central banks in Chile and South Africa to hike rates further (Wed. & Thu.) Key Market Themes …
The Bank of Canada kept policy unchanged today but judges that the conditions to start raising interest rates have now been met, suggesting that it will hike its policy rate at the next meeting in March. Markets had given the Bank a green light to start …
The re-tightening of restrictions has overshadowed the start of the year in Switzerland and the Nordics, and our GDP growth forecasts for 2022 are about 0.5%-pts lower than the consensus. Nonetheless, the soft patches for activity should be short …
Overview - China will be buffeted in the first half of 2022 by COVID outbreaks and a further slowdown in property construction. Policy support should improve the picture later in the year, but mounting structural headwinds will limit the extent of any …
Trimmed mean inflation will probably climb above the upper end of the RBA’s 2-3% target band in Q1, which would add to the case for the RBA to start hiking rates in May. However, the RBA hasn’t changed its policy rate in an election month since it started …
Political risk will be a major theme once again in Latin America this year, although recent developments have given cause for cautious optimism. Chilean President-elect Boric’s appointment of Mario Marcel , the current Central Bank Governor, as the next …
25th January 2022
The Bank of Canada’s fourth-quarter Business Outlook Survey showed firms’ wage expectations at a record high, which suggests that wage growth could accelerate to far above the pre-pandemic norm this year. (See Chart 1.) With little sign yet of a rebound …
Overview – The recovery across the Middle East and North Africa is likely to gather pace this year, due in large part to the Gulf where rising oil output will cause GDP growth to pick up to rates well above current consensus expectations. Recoveries …
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) kept its benchmark rate on hold at 11.50% today as it shrugged off the unexpected rise in inflation in December and maintained its focus on supporting the recovery. We think that the current accommodative policy stance is …
Table of Key Forecasts Global Overview – Global growth will be slower this year than last and we expect outturns in major economies including the US and China to be below consensus forecasts. The US economy will be hindered by persistent labour shortages …
Overview – Omicron should prove no more than a small stumbling block for Asia. Our forecasts are for above-trend and above-consensus growth in most countries this year. India, Indonesia and Korea are likely to raise interest rates in 2022, but with …
Labour market tightening rapidly, inflation surging Omicron is disrupting activity but will only add to the upward pressure on prices RBA to end QE next week, start hiking in August The rapid tightening of the labour market coupled with the acceleration …
Inflation above target mid-point sets stage for rate hikes this year The strong rise in underlying inflation at the end of last year means the RBA is all but certain to end its asset purchase scheme at its meeting next week. And with underlying inflation …
The Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) surprise move to tighten policy today, ahead of its usual April meeting, probably won’t be its last. We think the added uplift to inflation from a domestic outbreak of Omicron will force the MAS to tighten again …
Skyrocketing infections and a 10-day isolation requirement for close contacts of positive cases have resulted in a wave of staff absences in Japan. Domestic carmakers already struggling with chip shortages appear to have been among the first victims of …
24th January 2022
Overview – Despite a weak start to the year, we expect GDP to rise by 3.6% in 2022 due to broad-based gains in consumption, business investment and net trade. Against that backdrop, the Bank of Canada is set to raise interest rates four times in 2022. As …
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) left interest rates on hold today at 9.75% and indicated that further modest tightening is likely later in the year. We think the central bank will take a breather over the next few months, but we doubt today’s meeting …
The surge in Omicron infections means more people were self-isolating in early-January than at any time since the beginning of the pandemic, although the impact that will have on employment and output remains uncertain. Furthermore, with cases now falling …
Our baseline forecast envisages that US corporate bond spreads rise only slightly as the Fed raises interest rates over the next couple of years. But we think the risks to this forecast are skewed to higher spreads. We think that the Fed will hike …
21st January 2022
Fed officials may issue a hawkish statement at the upcoming FOMC meeting (Wed.) We expect central banks in Chile, Colombia and South Africa to hike rates next week Annual US wage growth may have reached 5% in Q4 (Thu.) Key Market Themes Although we think …
Whether the Bank of Canada raises interest rates next week or not, the more important question now is how high will rates eventually rise? Our view is that current market pricing is too aggressive. The Bank’s quarterly business and consumer surveys, which …
Ukraine’s markets in for a tough few months A positive reaction to today’s talks between the US and Russia may have brought some relief but, even if a renewed conflict doesn’t materialise, local markets are likely to face a difficult few months. Tensions …
A raft of recent economic developments have shaken up our near-term views on monetary policy in South Africa, and we now expect a 25bp interest rate hike at next week’s MPC meeting. However, our forecasts for the next 12-18 months are still more dovish …
Overview – We expect consumption to rebound from the Omicron wave within a few weeks, lifting euro-zone GDP to its pre-pandemic level in the first half of the year. But GDP will remain below its pre-pandemic path for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, …
We expect the Fed to deliver some heavy hints at next week’s FOMC that it is planning an interest rate hike in March. With the Omicron wave now past its peak nationally, there is little to hold the Fed back, particularly if next week brings news of a …
Denmark achieves a geranium “greenium” Denmark joined the growing list of countries to offer a green sovereign bond, on Wednesday. The country is far from a trailblazer in the area, with the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK all amongst those to have …
Thai tourism to support the baht Better times lie head for Thailand’s tourism industry after the government this week announced it would resume its quarantine-free travel scheme from 1 st February. The scheme was suspended late last year due to fears …
Chile: Boric appoints ‘Super Mario’ Marcel President-elect Boric’s announcement today that (now outgoing) Governor of the Central Bank, Mario Marcel, will be Chile’s next Finance Minister is a clear signal that his government will pursue prudent fiscal …
Virus cases peaking in parts of India Daily COVID-19 cases in India are still rising sharply and are now around an eight-month high. But encouraging signs are emerging in the state-level data. New infections have stabilised in Maharashtra, and they have …
Labour market tightest since 2008 The 64,800 rise in Australian employment in December meant that the unemployment rate fell from 4.6% to 4.2%, the lowest rate since 2008. RBA Governor Lowe noted last year that if the economic data exceeded the Bank’s …
Although the dollar’s rally has stalled over the past six weeks or so, and may tread water for a while longer, we think that it will ultimately appreciate a bit further this year and next. The key driver of the greenback’s rise since the middle of last …
20th January 2022
