Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Region: G10 Use setting G10 Use setting Monetary Policy
Bank cuts again but warns that it must protect against tariff-induced inflation Although the Bank of Canada cut interest rates by 25bp again today, it also warned that “monetary policy cannot offset the impacts of a trade war” and that it must guard …
12th March 2025
Bank will keep policy unchanged next week but we expect a 25bp hike in May Strong inflation and wage growth warrant more tightening; US tariffs key risk Rates will reach neutral territory of 1.5% in 2027 The Bank of Japan will keep policy settings …
The imposition of US tariffs and risk of more to come will weigh on exports, consumer confidence and investment. As a result, we now forecast weaker economic growth, with GDP expanding by just 1.0% annualised on average over the next four quarters. For …
11th March 2025
The UK government’s decision to raise defence spending from 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 was upstaged this week. It may have been enough to impress President Trump, but incoming German Chancellor Merz has raised the bar. The German response differs …
7th March 2025
Biggest pay hikes since 1991 forthcoming Japan’s Trade Union Confederation (RENGO) revealed yesterday that its members are requesting a 6.09% rise in pay (including seniority pay hikes) in this year’s spring wage negotiations (Shunto). That marks an even …
RBA won't provide much interest rate relief The minutes of the RBA’s February meeting confirmed that the Bank’s decision to cut rates last month had come down to the wire. Moreover, with concerns still persisting about lingering inflation risks, the Board …
Recent strength of GDP and employment data irrelevant amid existential tariff threat Even if tariffs soon lifted, Bank could cut by more than markets are pricing in this year If tariffs are sustained, Bank could eventually return interest rates to …
6th March 2025
While the 0.1% q/q rise in GDP in Q4 of last year was stronger than we and most other forecasters expected, the combination of higher taxes for businesses announced in last October’s Budget, a lingering drag from the previous interest rate hikes and …
5th March 2025
If the US tariffs remain in place, Canada will undoubtedly fall into recession. The limited decline in the loonie so far suggests markets are still pricing in a quick U-turn from the Trump administration. But even if the tariffs are soon lifted, their …
4th March 2025
RBA will only deliver shallow easing cycle The minutes of the RBA’s February meeting are consistent with our view that the Bank will continue to ease policy but won’t cut interest rates very far. It came as no surprise that the Board debated the decision …
The modest uptick in Australian house prices last month is unlikely to mark the beginning of a meaningful rally. With the Reserve Bank of Australia set to deliver a shallow easing cycle, housing affordability will remain stretched, weighing on the …
3rd March 2025
Economy doing well ahead of tariff threats Fourth-quarter GDP growth of 2.6% annualised was much stronger than the 1.8% rate we and the Bank expected, while third-quarter growth was revised up to 2.2%, from the initially reported 1.0%. As a result, growth …
28th February 2025
Soft data belie lingering capacity pressures At first glance, data released this week should give the Reserve Bank of Australia greater confidence that it has brought inflation under control. To start with, the ABS’ Monthly CPI indicator showed that both …
It is very unusual for the Bank of England to be cutting interest rates when inflation is above the 2% target and is expected to rise further. There’s a growing risk, then, that inflation fears will force the Bank to stop cutting rates. Equally, though, …
27th February 2025
Our ANZ Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. The RBA began its easing cycle with a 25bp cut this month, but it appeared in no hurry to loosen policy settings further. We expect the Bank to cut again in …
26th February 2025
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. With price pressures remaining subdued, RBA can ease a bit further The relatively soft CPI print for January should ease some of the RBA’s concerns about the stickiness of …
Underlying inflation picks up Headline inflation rose to 1.9% in January, from 1.8%, despite the partial GST/HST holiday that began in mid-December. (See here .) Excluding taxes, headline inflation climbed to 2.5%, providing a taste of what is to come now …
21st February 2025
Starts align for further rate hikes A recent Reuters survey showed that most economists expect just one more 25bp rate hike by the Bank of Japan this year. Even so, the financial markets are starting to come around to our view that the Bank will lift …
Risks are tilting towards less easing As most had expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia began its easing cycle with a 25bp cut this Tuesday. However, in her post-meeting press conference Governor Bullock took pains to rein in expectations for further …
The latest data suggest that, outside China, the world economy lost a bit of momentum heading into 2025. Around the turn of the year, manufacturing output kept treading water, retail sales weakened in advanced economies, and business survey indicators …
20th February 2025
Fed in no hurry to resume cutting rates The minutes of the Fed’s late-January policy meeting underline that, having cut rates by a cumulative 100bp, officials are in no hurry to resume loosening monetary policy, even though most still thought the current …
19th February 2025
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Climb in inflation to 3% will be uncomfortable for the BoE CPI inflation took another step up from 2.5% in December to 3.0% in January (consensus, BoE, CE 2.8%) and will probably …
Having handed down a third consecutive 50bp rate cut at its meeting today, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is likely to slow the pace of easing going forward. That said, we still think there’s a compelling case for a lower terminal rate than most are …
RBNZ to cut further than most expect Having handed down its third consecutive 50bp cut today, the RBNZ is likely to slow the pace of easing going forward. That said, we still think there’s a compelling case for a lower terminal rate than most are …
Wage pressures continue to soften Although the RBA will welcome the continued slowdown in wage growth, we still think it will deliver only a shallow easing cycle. The 0.7% q/q rise in the wage price index last quarter was a touch softer than most had …
The economy continues to do well with GDP growing strongly and employment growth solid. We are concerned, however, that the Trump administration’s policies will weigh on GDP growth over the course of this year. Nonetheless, with downward progress on core …
18th February 2025
When the Reserve Bank of Australia handed down its inaugural 25bp cut today, it indicated that any further withdrawal of monetary restriction would be limited, given residual inflationary pressures. Accordingly, we’re comfortable with our view that the …
RBA starts easing, but tempers expectations for further cuts When the Reserve Bank of Australia cut rates by 25bp at its meeting today, it signalled that any further withdrawal of monetary restriction would be gradual. Accordingly, we’re comfortable with …
Bank of Canada navigating without tariff roadmap The Summary of Deliberations from the Bank of Canada’s January policy meeting confirmed that tariff uncertainty had a hand to play in its decision to cut interest rates by 25bp. In particular, members of …
14th February 2025
The potential tariffs that UK exporters could soon face for sending goods to the US became bigger this week. On Monday, Trump said that US imports of steel and aluminium from all countries would face tariffs of 25% from 12 th March. Then on Thursday he …
10-year JGB yield climbs to 14-year high Even though the 10-year US Treasury yield has been little changed, the 10-year JGB yield rose to a 14-year high of 1.35% this week and we think that it will climb further to 1.75% by year-end. See our Global …
Soaring food inflation has been the key driver behind the recent strength in headline inflation. Processed food inflation will remain high for a while yet but that won’t prevent overall food inflation from falling sharply as the surge in rice and fresh …
13th February 2025
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand will almost certainly cut rates by 50bp, to 3.75%, at its meeting on 19 th February. Although the Bank is likely to revert to 25bp cuts thereafter, we think it has much more work to do to reduce excess capacity in the …
12th February 2025
Our Japan Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. With real household incomes rising the most in years and the savings rate rather high, the rebound in consumer spending will continue in 2025. And with …
Powell gives little indication of rate cuts this year Fed Chair Jerome Powell stuck to the line that the Fed was in no hurry to adjust its policy stance in his semi-annual testimony to Congress today. Given that inflation remains above target and the …
11th February 2025
Labour market remains tight and there are signs of green shoots in the economy But with inflation slowing markedly, RBA will cut by 25bp next Tuesday Scope for further policy loosening remains modest We expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut rates by …
The overall message from the Bank of England this week was decidedly dovish, raising the risk that interest rates will be cut further and faster than our forecast of a fall from 4.50% to 3.50% by early 2026. But as we unpacked in our reaction to the …
7th February 2025
The ECB’s April meeting comes amid falling inflation – but also rising global risks, not least the potential growth shock from Trump’s aggressive tariffs. How will heightened macro uncertainty shape the Governing Council’s decision and communications? …
7th April 2025
Pickup in consumption won't nix RBA rate cut Data released this week suggest that the Australian consumer felt rather upbeat last quarter. To start with, we learnt that retail sales held steady in December, a better result than most had anticipated. As a …
Wage growth strongest since 1997 According to the preliminary estimate released this week, labour cash earnings rose by 4.8% y/y in December, the largest increase since 1997. But while those strong gains boost household incomes, on their own they don’t …
The threat of US tariffs will hang over the economy for the foreseeable future, weighing on confidence and reducing investment. We have therefore revised down our GDP growth forecast for 2025 to 1.5%, from 1.8%. We still expect the Bank of Canada to cut …
6th February 2025
While cutting interest rates from 4.75% to 4.50% today, which was the third 25 basis point (bps) cut in seven months, the Bank of England showed some signs that it may cut rates faster and further than our forecast of a decline to 3.50% by early 2026. …
For updated and more detail analysis see here . Dovish development adds downside risk to our forecast for Bank Rate to fall to 3.50% While cutting interest rates from 4.75% to 4.50% today, which was the third 25bps cut in seven months, the Bank of …
Despite the recent weak news on activity and the uncertainty around the global outlook due to Trump’s US import tariffs, the stronger news on domestic price pressures means the Bank of England will probably continue to cut interest rates only gradually. …
5th February 2025
Australia’s housing slowdown continued into the new year, as demand softened further. Although the prospect of imminent rate cuts could temporarily buoy buyer sentiment, we don’t expect a meaningful rally in the housing market given that affordability is …
3rd February 2025
Despite the best efforts of the Canadian government to convince US officials that the border is secure, President Trump reiterated on Thursday that his administration will impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada this Saturday. That would be a big blow …
31st January 2025
BoJ may need to lift inflation forecasts further The economic data released this week support our non-consensus view that the Bank will deliver two more 25bp rate hikes this year. For a start, two out of the three measures of underlying inflation the Bank …
We still expect a shallow easing cycle Over the past few weeks, we’ve been flagging the risk that the Reserve Bank of Australia would loosen policy settings sooner rather than later. With CPI data released this week surprising materially to the downside, …
Bank to cut interest rates by 25bps at February’s meeting, from 4.75% to 4.50% The tail risks of both faster disinflation and slower disinflation have increased Rate cuts to stay gradual, but rates to fall to 3.50% in 2026 versus market pricing of 4.00% …
30th January 2025
