Largest decline in housing starts since April 2020 Housing starts weren’t able to build on the strong performance of the previous month in March, falling by the largest monthly amount since April 2020 in the early days of the pandemic. Although some of …
16th April 2024
On track for a June interest rate cut The March CPI data showed the third consecutive month of muted gains in the Bank of Canada’s preferred core inflation measures, suggesting that there is a growing chance of the Bank cutting interest rates at its next …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Weaker labour market points to weaker wage growth The sharp fall in employment and the jump in the unemployment rate in February suggest that wage growth will continue to slow …
Fiscally-fuelled improvement unlikely to last long Stronger-than-expected official GDP figures indicate that China’s economy gained momentum in Q1, thanks to policy support. But monthly activity data suggest that this policy-driven recovery is shaky. …
Downside risks to flash GDP estimate for February The unchanged level of wholesale sales and signs that manufacturing GDP contracted suggest that there are downside risks to the flash estimate that GDP rose by 0.4% m/m in February. The 0.7% m/m rise in …
15th April 2024
Consumption growth still rock solid The strong rise in retail sales in March and upward revision to February’s data will further support the Fed’s stance that there is no rush to start lowering interest rates. The 0.7% m/m rise in headline sales was …
Inflation edges down and will remain low Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate slowed to 1.6% y/y in March on the back of weaker food and non-food inflation. While there’s likely to be a slight bump up in inflation in the second half of this year, the …
Further jump in inflation means tightening cycle likely to continue Nigeria recorded another acceleration in headline inflation to 33.2% y/y in March as the previous falls in the naira have continued to push up prices. And while the naira has staged a …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Rise in output doesn’t improve poor outlook for industry Euro-zone industrial production rose in January, but the level of output is still weak and the outlook is poor. The 0.8% …
Consumers taking their cue from gasoline prices The small decline in the University of Michigan measure of sentiment in April lends some support to our forecast that consumer spending growth will be weaker in the first half of this year. Higher gasoline …
12th April 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. The fall in headline consumer price inflation in March to a 10-month low will comfort policymakers and, looking ahead, we think headline inflation will reach the RBI’s 4% …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication Credit growth plummets in a further sign of weak demand Bank loan and broad credit growth in China both decelerated sharply in March. (See Chart 1.)While we expect the PBOC to cut …
Bernanke puts the boot in, but doesn’t recommend the BoE projects interest rates Our initial impression (our full analysis is here ) of the changes to the Bank of England’s forecasting and communications recommended by Ben Bernanke is that they would go a …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Recovery well underway, but inflation will continue to fall The 0.1% m/m rise in GDP in February (consensus and CE +0.1%) and the upward revision to the gain in January from 0.2% …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Export volumes remain strong Despite a larger-than-expected y/y fall in export values, export volumes climbed to record highs. Nonetheless, we still think export volumes will …
On hold, early rate cut unlikely With inflationary pressures lingering, the currency falling sharply and expectations of a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve being pushed back, the prospect of an early rate cut by the Bank of Korea (which today left …
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) kept policy settings unchanged today, as expected, but with the economy set to remain weak and core inflation on track to resume its downward trend soon we think the MAS will loosen policy at its meeting in …
Muted PPI suggests core PCE inflation still on downward trend The March PPI data show the folly of relying too much on the CPI data. Our calculations suggest that, based on the combined inputs from PPI and CPI, core PCE prices increased by a more muted …
11th April 2024
Updated guidance suggests that June cut is likely The ECB’s decision to update its guidance suggests that an interest rate cut at the next meeting in June is very likely. In the press conference, Christine Lagarde won’t give a clear signal about the path …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Overinvestment will keep inflation below pre-pandemic average CPI inflation rose less than expected in March but is still trending upwards. We think an easing of food price …
Fed looking to slow QT by half from June According to the minutes of the Fed’s mid-March policy meeting “almost all participants judged that it would be appropriate to move policy to a less restrictive stance at some point this year if the economy evolved …
10th April 2024
Inflation stabilises, easing cycle is not that far away The stabilisation in Russian inflation at 7.7% y/y in March was in line with expectations and adds to evidence that inflation pressures have continued to cool in recent months. The month-on-month …
Bank leaves the door open for a June interest rate cut The acknowledgment by the Bank of Canada today that “the data since January have increased our confidence that inflation will continue to come down” leaves the door open to an interest rate cut at the …
Third consecutive 0.4% m/m gain in core CPI kills June rate cut hopes Alongside the pick-up in monthly payroll employment gains, the third consecutive 0.4% m/m rise in core CPI in March pretty much kills off hopes of a June rate cut from the Fed. The …
Underlying services prices still providing cause for concern The slightly softer-than-expected Brazilian inflation figure for March of 3.9% y/y keeps the door open to 50bp interest rate cuts at the Copom meetings both next month and in June. But with …
BoT on hold, but cuts likely later in the year Thailand’s central bank (BoT) today resisted pressure from the government to loosen monetary policy, but with growth set to remain weak and inflationary pressures very subdued, we still think rate cuts are …
RBNZ remains on the sidelines The RBNZ didn’t drop any hints as to when it might pivot to looser policy at its meeting today, but we still think that it will start cutting rates by August. The RBNZ’s decision to leave rates on hold at 5.50% was correctly …
Further rise in core services inflation shifts odds in favour of a hold Mexico’s headline inflation rate held steady at 4.4% y/y in March, but the further rise in core services inflation to a 10-month high last month adds weight to our view that Banxico …
9th April 2024
Door for rate cuts closing The decision by the Bank of Israel (BoI) to leave its policy rate unchanged at 4.50% (rather than cut) for the second meeting in a row underscores policymakers’ concerns about the large budget deficit, above-target inflation and …
8th April 2024
Downside inflation surprise keeps 75bp cut on the table The larger-than-expected fall in Chile’s inflation to 3.7% y/y in March has increased the chances of the central bank delivering another 75bp cut at its next meeting in May, although we still think …
Inflation eases even after currency plunge Egypt’s headline inflation rate slowed to 33.3% y/y in March despite the near 40% fall in the pound’s official exchange rate last month. That said, the effects of the currency fall will continue to feed through …
Forecast change after hawkish BSP meeting The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) today left its main policy rate unchanged (at 6.50%), but sounded more hawkish than we had expected on inflation. Accordingly, we are pushing back the timing of when we …
Some signs of life from German industry, but outlook still poor The second consecutive large monthly rise in German industrial production in February confirms the sector has started the year on a better note. But we still expect it to struggle over the …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Virtuous cycle will continue to gain momentum in Q2 Regular wage growth spiked in February, which suggests that the virtuous cycle between prices and wages is in full swing. And …
Economy running hot in Q4, momentum continues into 2024 The 4.9% y/y rise in Russian GDP in Q4 was slightly below expectations but it followed an upwards revision to growth in Q3 (to 5.7%) and suggests that the economy continued to run hot at the end of …
5th April 2024
RBI policy pivot creeping closer The RBI kept the repo rate on hold at 6.50% today as expected but the more interesting aspect was the slight dialling down of its hawkish rhetoric. With inflation grinding down towards the central bank's 4% target, we …
Cracks growing in the labour market The jump in the unemployment rate in March, together with evidence of easing wage pressures, raises the chance of the Bank of Canada surprising markets with a rate cut next week, although our base case remains that the …
Blockbuster report another reason for the Fed to take its time The blockbuster 303,000 increase in non-farm payrolls in March supports the Fed’s position that the resilience of the economy means it can take its time with rate cuts, which might now not …
Construction PMIs edge closer to expansionary territory The headline CIPS construction PMI rose to 50.2 in February, the first time it has risen above the no change level since August last year. The rise was driven by small improvements across the …
Rebound in mortgage rates causes prices to stall The first decline in the Halifax House price Index in six months confirmed that the slight rise in mortgage rates since the start of the year has caused house prices to stall. The 1.0% m/m fall in the …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Extended pause likely until 2025 The National Bank of Poland (NBP) left its policy rate on hold at 5.75% today as it looked through the recent sharp drop in inflation in March. …
4th April 2024
Exports and imports both surged A surge in gold exports and the end of earlier weather-related disruptions flattered the figures in February, but the trade data nonetheless point to a strengthening economy and suggest that net trade made a large …
Exports and imports surge in first quarter The strong gains in exports and imports in February imply that net trade will be a negative for first-quarter GDP growth, but that appears to mostly reflect the support to import demand from strong consumer …
Easing cycle just around the corner Romania’s central bank left its policy rate on hold at 7.00% as expected again today but with inflation likely to fall further, a monetary easing cycle is probably just around the corner. We maintain our view that the …
Surprise fall in Swiss inflation raises odds of further SNB rate cuts The further fall in Swiss inflation in March reinforces our view that the SNB will cut rates by a further 50bp this year. We have pencilled in the next rate cut for September, but there …
Plunge in prices paid index should soothe inflation concerns The renewed fall in the ISM services index in March is consistent with the message from the hard data that economic growth is slowing from the unsustainably strong pace in the second half of …
3rd April 2024
Mortgage rates temporarily drop below 7%, helping demand recover Mortgage rates dipping back below 7% helped mortgage applications for home purchase edge slightly higher in March. But recent increases in the 10-year Treasury yield point to mortgage rates …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Falling inflation points to June rate cut The fall in both headline and core inflation in March suggests that the ECB is very likely to begin cutting interest rates in June. The …
A soft end to Q1, but the Gulf economies still going strong March’s batch of PMIs for the region showed that, despite a minor tick down in the survey readings, the Gulf states enjoyed a strong start to 2024. Saudi Arabia’s survey edged down from 57.2 in …
Further rise in inflation will keep pressure on the CBRT to hike The increase in Turkish inflation, to 68.5% y/y in March, will keep pressure on the central bank (CBRT) to hike interest rates further at its meeting later this month. We maintain our …
