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This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Modest economic growth more likely than another recession this year The 0.2% m/m rise in GDP in August (consensus and Capital Economics 0.2%), which came on the back of the …
11th October 2024
The Bank of England’s Q3 Credit Conditions Survey suggests house prices will rise further in Q4 and supports our view that a mild slowdown in GDP growth this year is more likely than another recession. Despite the fall in the average quoted mortgage …
10th October 2024
We think the Chancellor will raise taxes in line with the planned £16bn (0.6% of GDP) a year increase in public spending at the Budget on 30th October. The main influence of this will just be a rotation in the shape of GDP growth away from consumer …
9th October 2024
Oil spikes, but won’t knock the BoE off course On its own, the jump in oil prices from $72 per barrel (bp) on Monday to a one-month high of $79pb due to the conflict in the Middle East (see here and here ) isn’t enough to have a bearing on how fast the …
4th October 2024
One way the US election could influence the UK economy would be if Donald Trump won and delivered on his pledge to put a 10% tariff on UK exports being sent to the US. We suspect the impact on UK activity from such a policy would be small (and perhaps …
2nd October 2024
Overview – We are not expecting the planned fiscal policies of the government to derail the economy – we expect GDP to grow by 1.0% this year and by a decent 1.5% in both 2025 and 2026. Instead, the main influence of the government’s plans to raise public …
1st October 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Fading drag on credit from higher interest rates is supporting the economy August’s money and lending data provide further evidence that the gradual improvement in credit demand …
30th September 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Softer rebound in activity, but another major downturn unlikely Q2 GDP growth of 0.5% q/q was a bit weaker than the previous estimate of 0.6% q/q, but the ONS also confirmed …
Government hinting about more investment The government appears to be laying the ground for a rise in public investment in the Budget on 30 th October. This week the Chancellor said “growth is the challenge and investment is the solution.” That was …
27th September 2024
We held an online Drop-In session last week to discuss the likely pace and extent of interest rate cuts and their implications now that the US Fed has joined the party. (See a recording here .) This Update answers some of the questions that we received, …
23rd September 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Growth slowing, not collapsing The fall in September’s composite flash PMI is probably not a sign that the economy is on the cusp of another downturn, but instead is further …
The contrast between the Bank of England keeping interest rates on hold at 5.00% this week, along with the accompanying message that it will cut interest rates only gradually, and the US Fed kick-starting its easing cycle with a big 50 basis point (bps) …
20th September 2024
Retail sector on track to support consumer spending in Q3 The unexpected large rise in retail sales volumes in August came on the back of a 0.7% m/m increase in July (revised up from 0.5% m/m) and lends some support to our view that the recent stagnation …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Borrowing disappoints but backdrop not as dire as Chancellor suggests August’s public finances figures continued the recent run of bad news on the fiscal position, with public …
We’ll be discussing the differences in the policy outlook for the Bank, the ECB and the Fed in a 20-minute online briefing at 3pm BST today. (Register here .) By leaving interest rates at 5.00% the Bank of England showed it is more like the ECB than the …
19th September 2024
For our more detailed analysis of the Bank's September policy announcement, see here . BoE underlines that interest rates will be reduced gradually By leaving interest rates at 5.00% the Bank of England showed it is more like the ECB than the Fed and is …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Rise in services inflation makes September rate cut even less likely CPI inflation stayed at 2.2% in August (consensus & CE 2.2%, BoE 2.4%), but the rise in services inflation …
18th September 2024
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) “Fiscal risks and sustainability report”, published this week, showed that if left unchecked the public debt to GDP ratio would spiral from 98% now to 274% by the mid-2070s. Assuming a recession comes along …
13th September 2024
We think the markets are wrong to expect two more interest rate cuts this year But we think rates will be cut more quickly next year and to 3.00% in early 2026 MPC may speed up QT by announcing a £110bn reduction in the balance sheet We agree with the …
The structural deterioration in the fiscal situation suggests that a tight grip on the public finances in the Budget on 30 th October will be necessary. That’s why we think the government will maintain existing plans for fiscal policy to be tightened, but …
12th September 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. July’s stagnation unlikely to mark the start of a renewed downturn GDP stagnated in July (consensus and CE forecast 0.2%), but that doesn’t mean the UK is on the cusp of another …
11th September 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Encouraging, but not enough for interest rates to be cut again in September The further easing in wage growth will be welcomed by the Bank of England as a sign that labour market …
10th September 2024
Getting an early steer on whether an economy has entered recession requires a holistic assessment of a variety of indicators to see if multiple variables are flagging recession at the same time. In this vein, we have created Economic Momentum Indicators …
9th September 2024
The lingering concerns over whether the US manufacturing sector and overall economy are heading for recession begs the question of whether the UK’s manufacturing sector and overall economy will go the same way. The fear is that the recent period in which …
6th September 2024
The Prime Minister’s statement this week that “there is a budget coming in October, and it’s going to be painful…those with the broader shoulders should bear the heavier burden” has prompted yet more speculation about how much tax revenues will rise and …
30th August 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Steady improvement in credit is supporting the economy July’s money and lending data provide further evidence that a steady improvement in the flow and demand of credit is …
At first glance, the 1.1% m/m increase in Adzuna job vacancies in July, the first monthly rise this year, together with the fall in the unemployment rate to 4.2% in June and the 127,000 rebound in employment between April and June, suggests the recent …
23rd August 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Fading price pressures support the case for more rate cuts this year August’s composite PMI provides further evidence that some of the recent strength of activity in the first …
22nd August 2024
We don’t think the slew of inflation-busting public sector pay deals that have been agreed by the new government will prevent wage growth from slowing next year to the rates of 3.0-3.5% we think are consistent with the 2.0% inflation target. But the big …
21st August 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Limited wiggle room for the Chancellor at the Budget July’s public finances figures continued the recent run of bad news on the fiscal position, with public borrowing on track to …
The good news just kept coming this week. The economy grew by an above-trend rate for the second quarter in a row in Q2 (see here ), the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%, well below most estimates of the natural rate of around 4.50%. (See here .) And at …
16th August 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Better start to Q3 not as good as it looks After a weather disrupted Q2, July’s 0.5% m/m rise in retail sales volumes (consensus forecast 0.6% m/m, CE forecast 0.5% m/m) was …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Strength in Q2 won’t last While the economy flatlined in June, it still managed to grow by 0.6% q/q rise in GDP in Q2. That said, some of the rebound in activity in Q2 may have …
15th August 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Soft surprise opens the door to more interest rate cuts later this year The smaller-than-expected rise in CPI inflation from 2.0% in June to 2.2% in July (consensus forecast …
14th August 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Easing in wage growth clears path for more rate cuts later this year The further easing in wage growth will be welcomed by the Bank of England as a sign that labour market …
13th August 2024
After stagnating in the first half of this year, the Halifax house price index jumped by 0.8% m/m in July in response to the fall in mortgage rates from 4.9% to 4.7% in July. (See here .) What’s more, July’s RICS survey suggests that increasing demand …
9th August 2024
At its last policy meeting, the Bank of England still sounded a long way from being assured that inflation and wage growth will continue to ease. As a result, we doubt the recent moves in global financial markets will be enough to persuade the Bank to cut …
7th August 2024
The news that the economy may now be 2.6% bigger than its Q4 2019 pre-pandemic size, rather than 1.8%, suggests it is in better shape than we previously thought. But with the UK still suffering from balefully low productivity and labour force growth, …
Although the UK has clearly been caught up in the recent turmoil in global financial markets, we do not think a double-dip recession is on the cards. Nonetheless, the disorderly market reaction, if sustained, raises the downside risks to our GDP forecast …
6th August 2024
This week was a good example of a “hawkish cut” from the Bank of England. The cut bit; the first 25 basis point (bp) fall in interest rates since March 2020. The hawkish bit; the Bank stated very clearly that it doesn’t expect to cut rates too much or too …
2nd August 2024
The Bank of England kick-started a loosening cycle today by cutting interest rates from 5.25% to 5.00%, but the accompanying guidance and forecasts suggest it will proceed cautiously. Accordingly, we suspect the Bank will keep rates on hold in September …
1st August 2024
Rates cut to 5.00%, but BoE in no rush to cut again The Bank of England kick-started a loosening cycle today, cutting interest rates from 5.25% to 5.00%, but the accompanying guidance and forecasts suggest it will proceed cautiously. Accordingly, we now …
In detailed analysis last year, we concluded that equilibrium nominal interest rates would settle at between 3% and 4% in advanced economies in the next ten years. We maintain that opinion and in fact some of the forces boosting equilibrium rates seem to …
30th July 2024
Our best judgement is that in order to fund the increase in spending of £22bn outlined by the Chancellor today, Reeves will raise an additional £10bn a year (0.3% of GDP) via higher taxes and increase borrowing by about £7bn a year (0.3% of GDP). The …
29th July 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. More evidence the drag on activity from higher interest rates is starting to fade June’s money and lending data provided a bit more evidence that the drag from higher activity is …
This week’s news that higher shipping costs pushed up the manufacturing input prices balance of the PMI survey to an 18-month high in July (see here ) has reignited concerns that shipping costs will drive a rebound in core goods CPI inflation. (See Chart …
26th July 2024
Almost ready to cut But economic resilience and sticky inflation will probably mean MPC waits until September We think rates will be cut to 3.00% next year, below current market pricing of 4.00% While it will be a very close call, the economy’s recent …
25th July 2024
GDP growth appears to be slowing at the start of Q3 July’s composite PMI suggests some of the recent rebound in activity this year may have been due to catch-up growth following the weakness of activity last year and GDP growth is easing towards a more …
24th July 2024
Without wishing to downplay the ugly fiscal picture, we think the new government is overplaying the gloom. We suspect more optimistic economic forecasts and various tweaks to the fiscal rules will save the new Chancellor from hitting the electorate with …
23rd July 2024
We doubt the independent pay review bodies’ recommendations for the government to give teachers and NHS staff a 5.5% pay rise will prevent wage growth from slowing to 3.0% by the end of next year. But if the government chooses to extend this pay rise to …
