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The ECB is likely to argue that the increase in inflation to above its 2% target is “transient” even if it continues for much longer than currently expected. The key question is not how long inflation has been above target but whether it is expected to …
30th September 2021
The Czech National Bank (CNB) stepped up the pace of its tightening cycle with a 75bp interest rate hike, to 1.50%, at today’s meeting and its hawkish communications signalled that further aggressive hikes will be delivered in the coming months to tackle …
Euro-zone governments’ reduction in support for jobs will not cause unemployment in the region to jump, since there are now relatively few workers benefiting, and hiring activity is strong. But lingering spare capacity in the labour market means worker …
The impact on the labour market of the end of the furlough scheme could ultimately determine whether an interest rate hike comes in the next few months, or not until mid-2022. Our view remains that its expiry will help to ease the existing shortages and …
With UK policy rates now set to rise as early as next spring, this has tipped the risks to our commercial property outlook to the downside. But we don’t think the change is significant enough to make a wholesale downgrade to our view. Recent developments …
Rising government bond yields are set to squeeze valuations, resulting in increases in Oslo all-property yields after 2022. This will weigh on returns for Oslo property in the coming years, with structural headwinds limiting the extent to which rental …
Decline in the unemployment rate likely to continue The fall in euro-zone unemployment in August brings the jobless rate back very close to its pre-pandemic level. But employment is still below pre-virus levels, highlighting that the labour market …
Less spare capacity raises risk of rate hike in the coming months Today’s release suggests the economy is closer to its pre-pandemic level than we had previously thought and raises the risk that the Bank of England hikes interest rates sooner than our …
Price growth cools, but only gradually The only small gain in house prices in September suggests that house price growth slowed as the stamp duty holiday was withdrawn. But with inventory limited and demand resilient, we suspect that house price growth …
Sentiment holds up in the euro-zone The small improvement in economic sentiment in the euro-zone in September provides reassurance that supply shortages and the Delta variant will not cause a sharp slowdown in economic growth. Nevertheless, price …
29th September 2021
Broad based decrease in net lending Net lending to property decreased for the third consecutive month in August, driven by falls in both lending for standing investment and development. Looking ahead, we think that tight credit conditions and the slow …
Increase in mortgage size another sign of resilient demand While still above pre-COVID-19 levels mortgage approvals edged down in August, suggesting no great rush to move before the stamp duty holiday taper ends at the end of September. But an increase in …
Sentiment falls again as recovery comes off the boil The continued fall in the EC’s Economic Sentiment Indicators for September provides further evidence that the regional recovery in Central and Eastern Europe has slowed in Q3 as supply disruptions have …
Risk that the economy will take a small step back The tepid increase in consumer credit in August provides more evidence that the economy didn’t regain much momentum after stagnating in July. And with the current fuel crisis restraining activity (outside …
The double whammy of higher utility prices and the government’s new “health and social care levy” will reduce real household disposable incomes over the next year or so by £16.5bn, or 0.6% of GDP, compared to otherwise. By slowing real consumption growth, …
28th September 2021
As a result of the increase in gas prices, we now think that euro-zone headline inflation will soon hit 4% and that it will average 2% in 2022. But headline and core inflation still look set to fall over the course of next year, with both settling at …
The latest data suggest that GDP growth in much of Emerging Asia slowed markedly in Q3, and that the recovery in Emerging Europe lost a bit of steam. Latin American economies generally strengthened, although the property slowdown in China poses a headwind …
27th September 2021
Low inflation is here to stay in much of the emerging world. However, there is a significant risk that inflation rises, albeit moderately, over the medium term in several countries. This risk isn’t limited to the usual suspects like Turkey and Argentina. …
Last week’s surprise interest rate cut by Turkey’s central bank is particularly worrying given the backdrop of the country’s fragile external position. While the current account deficit has narrowed and the central bank’s net FX reserves have increased …
With the CDU/CSU and SDP having won very similar shares of the vote, the composition of Germany’s next government still hangs in the balance. An SDP-led coalition would probably pursue a slightly less restrictive fiscal policy, but any change of direction …
The positive near-term economic picture means that Bucharest industrial activity will maintain its momentum in H2, but ease further out as spending patterns normalise. But given the city’s large supply pipeline, we expect industrial rents to barely grow …
The recovery in UK commercial property continued into August, despite a backdrop of more equivocal economic data. But, while the economic softness should be short-lived and returns for 2021 are likely to remain healthy, we suspect that the real estate …
24th September 2021
Appetite for further monetary tightening wanes Central banks have started to slow tightening cycles in recent weeks and, in Turkey’s case, begin cutting interest rates. As inflation pressures ease, this pattern is likely to continue. But the Czech …
There are two reasons why we now think the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will hike interest rates in 2022 rather than in 2023. First, underlying wage growth and inflation expectations have risen by more than we expected. These are …
A mild winter in the Northern Hemisphere, a substitution of gas for other fuels in electricity generation, and/or a rise in supply via Nord Stream 2 could all send European gas prices lower in the months ahead. But even if prices start to fall back soon, …
This week, some of the world’s major central banks, from the US Fed to the Bank of England , hinted that they will be shifting towards tighter monetary policy in the months ahead. Indeed, the Norges Bank this week hiked its policy rate, the first G10 …
The phoney interest rate ‘war’ in Norway is over Norwegian policymakers would make terrible poker players because they have a habit of telling you what they will do and do not bluff. Accordingly, having finally started the long-awaited and well-signalled …
Overview – Our forecast for the economic recovery to maintain its momentum in H2 bodes well for occupier and investment activity. But while we think industrial rental growth will pick up, we still expect office and retail rents to end this year lower. …
A disappointing end to Q3 The third successive decline in the Ifo Business Climate Index in September provides further evidence that Germany’s recovery is losing steam, as supply chain difficulties persist and the surge in gas prices piles additional …
The Evergrande crisis has made waves in financial markets this week. But, while the developed property markets we cover may see some short-term upheaval, we think the impacts outside of China are unlikely to be severe or lasting. For property investors, …
23rd September 2021
Several EM central banks have raised interest rates in the past couple of months on the back of growing inflation concerns (including many in Latin America) and/or strong economic recoveries (parts of Central Europe, Korea). Hiking cycles look set to …
Overview – The economic recovery and strong investor demand are supporting the property market upturn in Scandinavia and Switzerland. However, we expect 2021 to mark the peak for returns in most markets, except for Oslo where the start of the monetary …
While rates were left at +0.10% in an 9-0 vote and the Bank of England’s target stock of purchased assets at £895bn, today’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) policy statement suggests that the Bank is moving closer to raising interest rates. As such, we …
The federal election in Germany on Sunday will result in a new chancellor for the first time since 2005 and opinion polls suggest that the result will be extremely close with potentially months of coalition talks ahead. In this Update , we answer five key …
Turkey’s central bank (CBRT) unexpectedly cut its one-week repo rate by 100bp to 18.00% today, despite the further rise in inflation in August, and we now think that further aggressive easing is likely over the coming year. But this could ultimately sow …
Weaker activity and rising inflation may make life tricky for the MPC The small fall in the composite activity PMI in September indicates that the economy lost a little more momentum. But at the same time, there were clear signs that price pressures have …
Supply shortages hamper growth, exacerbate price pressures September’s PMIs suggest that the pace of recovery slowed further at the end of Q3, in part as the euro-zone economy approaches its pre-virus size but also as supply shortages continue to bite. …
Even if the current concerns around Evergrande abate, we think China’s stock market will continue to underperform many of those elsewhere over the next couple of years. Worries about Evergrande have continued to weigh on stock markets in China and …
22nd September 2021
If, contrary to our opinion and the consensus, a collapse of Evergrande ends up having a significant impact on the rest of the world, it will be because it first causes either major financial dislocation within China or a property-led slump in China’s …
This note is part of this year’s special ‘CE Spotlight’ series of research investigating whether the global economy is on the cusp of an era of higher inflation. You can find other publications in this series here , and register for our accompanying …
Problems at Evergrande in China have dominated the headlines recently, but (sovereign) debt risks are brewing in other EMs too. Concerns about higher government spending and rising public debt levels are building in parts of Latin America . Meanwhile, …
21st September 2021
Hungary’s central bank (MNB) slowed the pace of its tightening cycle today, raising its base rate by a smaller-than-expected 15bp to 1.65%, and the post-meeting communications signalled that future rate hikes will remain at the smaller end of the …
There is no doubt that demand cooled after the stamp duty discount was reduced. But a collapse in new listings has eclipsed the decline in new buyer demand, suggesting that prices will at least hold their ground in Q4 when stamp duty returns to normal. …
The recent rises in 2-year and 10-year gilt yields to their highest levels since the “dash for cash” at the start of the pandemic have entirely been driven by the investors revising up their expectations for inflation. Indeed, 10-year break-even inflation …
The Riksbank stuck firmly to “Plan A” this morning by maintaining the status quo for the repo rate and its asset purchase programme. However, the slight tweak to the Bank’s language on the outlook for the balance sheet lends support to our view that …
Recovery losing steam Poland’s economy appeared to lose steam in August amid signs that global chip shortages started to weigh on industrial output and retail sales failed to reverse a dip in July. We still think that GDP will rise by a robust 1.5% q/q …
Borrowing undershoot won’t stop the Chancellor unwinding the fiscal boost August’s public finances figures provided further evidence that the government’s financial position isn’t as bad as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicted back in …
The low use of gas, and a reliance on nuclear and renewables for electricity generation, means that Switzerland and the Nordics are less exposed to the recent surge in gas prices than other parts of Europe – particularly Spain. While Switzerland and the …
20th September 2021
The upward pressure on euro-zone headline inflation from the surge in natural gas prices will not be felt evenly throughout the region, with Spain looking most vulnerable. Governments are stepping in to cushion the blow, but higher energy bills are a …
While we expect the yields of long-dated sovereign bonds to increase further across developed markets over the next two years, we think they will rise by more in the US than in the euro-zone and the UK. This is based on our view that inflation will prove …
17th September 2021
