The resignation of Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) Governor Tarek Amer points to a growing tension within policymaking circles on the best way to address the country’s external imbalances. We think the next governor will ultimately need to let the pound …
17th August 2022
Aggregate EM inflation came in at its highest rate since 2008 last month, but there are signs that it is starting to stabilise and it should fall back in the coming months. For central banks in Emerging Europe and Latin America that have already hiked …
The RBNZ lifted the overnight cash rate by 50bp to 3% today as everyone had anticipated and signaled that it will deliver another 50bp hike in October. We now expect the Bank to hike rates to a peak of 4% instead of our previous forecast of 3.5%, but we …
The latest figures suggest that Build to Rent (BTR) investment has continued to expand rapidly. Despite this trend, which predates COVID-19, the sector remains under-developed by international standards. But with plenty of opportunities for investors, we …
16th August 2022
An increase in the permanent migration programme will help to alleviate labour shortages. But the rapid tightening of the labour market in recent months has been driven by strong labour demand rather than a shortfall in supply. The upshot is that the RBA …
Ruto wins, but political risks remain acute After nearly a week since voters went to the ballot box, William Ruto was finally announced President-elect in Kenya, but investors’ roller-coaster ride will probably continue over the coming days and weeks with …
15th August 2022
We agree with PM Modi’s assertion in his Independence Day speech over the weekend that boosting female participation in the labour force could have a major positive impact on the economy, but in truth the government’s record in this area is poor. Looking …
Given that unemployment rates have usually risen significantly in recessions, it is tempting to conclude that history is about to repeat itself, to the frustration of policymakers seeking soft landings in labour markets. But the pandemic has produced …
Rents in the Dublin prime office market rose rapidly in H1 2022, supported by a continued recovery in occupier demand. However, a cooling jobs market and strong supply pipeline mean that a slowdown is likely in the second half of the year. Having started …
The 2022 Football World Cup that kicks off in November will provide a significant boost to Qatar’s economy in Q4, but we doubt that the economic legacy of the tournament will live up to officials’ expectations. That raises the risk of overcapacity in key …
The latest data out of Nigeria suggest that GDP growth weakened further in Q2. Ongoing production problems in the oil sector will drag on growth in the coming year and, while that is likely to be offset by fiscal stimulus ahead of February’s elections, we …
The People’s Bank (PBOC) has cut its policy rates in response to a loss of economic momentum. A cut to the Loan Prime Rate (LPR) later this month is now a given and we expect additional easing measures further ahead, though it’s far from clear that this …
Brazil’s stock market has fared better than most this year, but we forecast it to fall ~15% over the rest of 2022. And while we expect it to rebound over the following couple of years, we think falling commodity prices and mounting fiscal risks will limit …
12th August 2022
Mexico’s central bank (Banxico) hiked interest rates by 75bp, to 8.50%, for a second consecutive meeting yesterday but, amid mounting evidence that the economy is struggling and with inflation close to a peak, we think that the pace of tightening will …
Commercial property wasn’t initially hit by the worsening in economic conditions at the turn of the year, but there are now growing signs of anxiety. Not only that, but even if the economic gloom is short lived and any downturn is mild, we expect …
The anticipation of quick reversals of central bank rate hikes has probably supported equity markets of late, but we suspect investors have become overly optimistic and still think equity prices will end this year, in general, below their current levels. …
The Canadian dollar has held up relatively well against the US dollar so far in 2022, but we think the factors underpinning the loonie’s resilience will fade and push it lower against the greenback over the next couple of years. The loonie has been the …
11th August 2022
While history shows that recessions can begin even while employment is still rising, the current rate of payroll employment growth is far too strong to be consistent with an economic downturn. By the same token, although we think an outright contraction …
We expect a recession in 2022/23 to be driven by high inflation, with a contraction in real consumer spending at its epicentre. But with household and corporate balance sheets still relatively healthy, we suspect the recession will be mild by historical …
The rise in new delinquencies on consumer loans over the first half of the year mostly reflects rising interest costs. With debt levels low, real incomes on track to begin rising again amid a drop back in inflation and the labour market holding up well, …
10th August 2022
We held a Drop In yesterday outlining our latest forecasts for global financial markets. This Update answers some questions that we received during that Drop In but didn’t have time to address. What would have to go right for bond and equity markets to be …
Capital outflows from EMs have eased over the past month, helping to stabilise local asset prices. But we think outflows will pick up again before long. That’s a threat to those EMs whose current account deficits have widened or are widening sharply, …
With most workers who left during the pandemic mostly returned to the labour force by early 2022, it is little surprise that growth of the labour force has slowed. But the decline in the participation rate over recent months also appears to reflect some …
EU funds will provide a key boost to economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in the coming years as the region navigates a challenging macro environment and slowing global growth. Disputes with the European Commission over the rule of law in Hungary …
Deteriorating global economic growth over the coming quarters will weigh on industrial demand for cotton, natural rubber and lumber. That said, high oil prices will offer some support to cotton and natural rubber prices, and our expectation for rate cuts …
The fall in the Rhine’s water level is a small problem for German industry compared to the gas crisis, or indeed the recent shortage of semiconductors. But if it persists until December it could subtract 0.2ppts from GDP in Q3 and Q4 and add a touch to …
Pandemic-accelerated migration patterns were already driving outperformance in the southern states. But they have also brought the poor performance of weaker markets to the fore. With those structural changes likely to continue to play out over the next …
Ethiopia has been grappling with the fallout from its internal conflict and severe drought which, coming alongside spillovers from the war in Ukraine, will result in much weaker growth in the coming years and a sovereign debt restructuring is likely. Over …
The Bank of Thailand hiked interest rates today by 25bp (to 0.75%), but reiterated that the tightening cycle will be gradual. We are sticking with our view that the policy rate will peak at 1.5% next year. Today’s decision came as no surprise and was …
The extent to which neighbouring countries would be affected by an escalation of tensions between China and Taiwan would depend both on which sides they take and on the nature of restrictions imposed by the West and China. ASEAN countries are most reliant …
The 2.5% slump in productivity over the past year – the worst since records began in 1948 – is another illustration of the chasm that has opened up between the GDP and employment figures. The only plausible explanation to our minds is that one or both of …
9th August 2022
The sharp increase in retirements this year presents downside risks to our forecasts for employment and, with GDP growth already faltering, further raises the probability that economic activity will contract. The fall in employment over June and July is …
A rise in Bank Rate to a peak of 3.00% wouldn’t dent real consumer spending anywhere near as much as the drag from surging inflation over the coming quarters. That said, it would only compound the downward impact on spending, which reinforces our view …
Comparatively strong demand from flexible offices has helped the CEE occupier recovery from the pandemic. But a more limited flex pipeline this year means it is not likely to provide much offset to the weakening employment prospects in the region. A …
With Russia tightening its squeeze on supply of gas to Europe, governments are turning their attention to other major gas exporters such as Qatar to try to fill the gap. But Qatar’s gas sector is already operating close to capacity and, while the North …
Although the spreads of many “risky” bonds have risen significantly this year, some aren’t currently at levels that have typically been followed by substantial future outperformance of their “safe” counterparts. Credit spreads have generally increased on …
Taiwan matters far more to the world economy than its 1% share of global GDP would indicate. A further escalation in cross-strait tensions that cut Taiwan’s export off from the rest of the world would lead to renewed shortages in the automotive and …
8th August 2022
The Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Senate over the weekend will, despite its name, do little to rein in inflation, but the climate provisions will make a meaningful difference in efforts to reduce GHG emissions. The bill represents a cumulative …
While DM central banks are currently raising interest rates in earnest, the past week has brought signs that tightening cycles are now nearing an end in parts of the emerging world. Indeed, with interest rates now well above neutral in much of Emerging …
Commodity import volumes remained lacklustre in July , consistent with subdued activity in heavy industry and construction. We think import growth should tick up in the coming months in response to higher infrastructure spending and a modest pick-up in …
Concerns about the demand outlook have dragged the Brent crude oil price towards $90 per barrel this week. But, the supply-side concerns which pushed the price over $120 per barrel not too long ago haven’t entirely vanished. Indeed, following the OPEC+ …
5th August 2022
The odds are stacking up against first-time buyers (FTBs), an important demographic for homeownership. A very limited number of starter homes on the market, higher interest rates, tight credit conditions and a weak outlook for new home sales all point to …
Kenya’s general election scheduled for Tuesday is set against a challenging economic backdrop, and no matter the winner, the country’s outlook is likely to remain overshadowed by large macroeconomic imbalances and high public debt risks. Kenya is heading …
While China-Taiwan tensions haven’t yet caused ructions in global financial markets, any escalation that threatened to disrupt trade and/or financial flows almost certainly would. This Update explores the potential ramifications of such an event across …
The appointment of Sergio Massa as head of Argentina’s newly-created economic “superministry” provides some hope that the government will try to stick to its latest IMF deal. But it will be a major challenge to meet the Fund’s targets. And even if …
German prime office yields jumped in Q2 amid early signs that the weakening economic outlook is weighing heavily on the office market. And while there were strong rental gains in the first half of the year, we think growth will slow as economic headwinds …
The RBI today raised the repo rate by 50bps to 5.40% as we had anticipated, and struck a relatively hawkish tone despite inflation surprising to the downside in recent months. It’s clear that the tightening cycle still has legs and we expect another …
There is scope for inventory building to boost GDP growth in the near term but, as the US experience has recently demonstrated, this could raise the risk of GDP falling in the following quarters. Inventories are still unusually lean and would need to rise …
4th August 2022
The Czech National Bank (CNB) became the first major EM central bank to end its tightening cycle after it left its policy rate on hold at 7.00% today. The communications were not as dovish as we had expected, but the new-look MPC is clearly less inclined …
While raising interest rates by 50 basis points (bps) today, from 1.25% to 1.75%, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) suggested that rates will probably have to rise further to knock on the head the recent rises in price/wage expectations, but that a …
