Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
Recent upside surprises to activity and core inflation could justify a pause However, with tariffs hanging over the economy, Bank will opt for a 25bp cut Bank set to call time on QT this year The recent pick-up in GDP growth and core inflation pressures …
22nd January 2025
Solid activity data support case for a pause Mildly stagflationary Trump policies imply maximum of two more rate cuts this year Annual voting rotation won’t affect policy outlook We expect the strength of the economy and uncertainty over immigration and …
After a stellar run, India’s economy has entered a softer patch that will continue for a few more quarters. We think that will portend an underperformance in local equities relative to other major benchmarks. Headline CPI inflation has fallen back within …
Egypt’s economy has struggled over the past year due to the effects of a weak pound, high inflation, and tighter fiscal and monetary policy, but there have been signs recently that a recovery is taking hold. We expect GDP growth will strengthen, and by …
Inflation edges up but SARB to continue with cuts in 2025 The smaller-than-expected rise in South Africa’s headline inflation rate, to 3.0% y/y, in December, combined with the recent recovery in the rand, supports our view that the SARB can continue with …
Rates on hold (again), prolonged hold likely Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today left its main policy rate unchanged at 3.0%, and hinted that it was in no hurry to change rates anytime soon. The decision comes as no surprise – the outcome was correctly …
The economy continues to do well with GDP growing strongly, employment growth solid and core inflation pressures easing again. We are concerned, however, that the Trump administration’s policies will weigh on GDP growth over the course of this year. …
21st January 2025
We aren’t overly worried about the impact of higher bond yields on Japan’s public finances because rising interest rates are a direct consequence of higher inflation. With the effective interest rate on public debt set to rise only slowly, the net impact …
The Bank of Canada’s latest business and consumer surveys support our view that GDP growth will pick-up this quarter and suggest there are some upside risks to our forecast for another 75bp of interest rate cuts this year. That said, given the threat of …
20th January 2025
Dovish SARB on the cards even with weak rand The rand’s recent weakness has raised worries in the market that the SARB’s easing cycle will slow. While the risks to our forecast for the repo rate are certainly tilted to the upside, we still think a …
17th January 2025
The Chancellor was able to breathe a sigh of relief this week after favourable CPI inflation prints for December in both the UK (see here ) and the US (see here ) led to a reversal in last week’s leap in gilt yields. In fact, the 28 basis points (bps) …
Korea: political crisis weighing on growth The political crisis in Korea is continuing to drag on, with no clear sign of when or how it will come to an end. President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested this week on charges of insurrection following his …
The latest data suggest that resilient consumer spending supported GDP growth in the US towards the end of last year, while activity in other advanced economies remained weak. Industry continues to struggle in DMs, while in China it is benefiting from …
Israel & Hamas: an end to the war The ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas this week, if it sticks, would represent a major de-escalation in the region. It’s a multi-phase deal that will involve the exchange of hostages and prisoners, eventually …
Bank wary of triggering another market rout A flurry of communication by the Bank of Japan has resulted in the financial markets pricing in an 80% chance of a rate hike at next week’s meeting. We and two-thirds of economists polled by Reuters agree that a …
Upcoming inflation data will be pivotal Data released this week broadly support our view that the Reserve Bank of Australia won’t be in a rush to start cutting rates. Indeed, yesterday’s blockbuster jobs report only adds to the evidence that the …
Six months since its formation, South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) has fostered a lot of goodwill in the market. Loadshedding is seemingly a thing of the past, logistics constraints have eased, and the fiscal position has improved. But …
16th January 2025
NBP keeps rates on hold, probably for the whole year The National Bank of Poland (NBP) left its policy rate on hold again today, at 5.75%, and the inflation backdrop is likely to prevent the restart of the easing cycle for some time. We don’t expect …
December’s weaker-than-expected inflation outturn won’t sway Norges Bank: we still expect it to wait until March to start cutting interest rates. We suspect that it will then lower rates gradually, once per quarter, until the key policy rate reaches 3% in …
The Bank of Korea today left its main policy rate unchanged at 3.00%, but with the economy struggling and inflation under control, we doubt it will be long before the central bank resumes its easing cycle. The decision not to cut interest rates for the …
Our ANZ Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. The Antipodean central banks will tread different paths on policy over the forecast horizon. With the New Zealand economy in dire straits and with inflation …
The Japanese yen has been boosted by the dip in US Treasury yields, and we think it will rally a bit further against the US dollar over 2025. One of the key beneficiaries of the dip in US Treasury yields since the December US CPI print has been the yen, …
The Bank of Japan has signalled that it will raise rates at its January meeting. And with inflation set to remain above the Bank’s 2% target for a while yet, we’re sticking to our forecast that the policy rate will reach an above-consensus 1.25% by the …
Interest rates on hold, but BoK to resume easing cycle soon The Bank of Korea today left its main policy rate unchanged at 3.00%, but we doubt it will be long before the central bank resumes its easing cycle. The decision was correctly predicted by just …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Tight labour market bolsters case for RBA to stay put Although we expect the labour market to cool in earnest over the course of this year, risks to our forecast that the …
The ceasefire reportedly agreed between Israel and Hamas is likely to have significant consequences for some countries in the region, notably Israel itself as well as Jordan and Egypt. But the possible disinflationary impact for the rest of the world via …
15th January 2025
If sustained, rising bond yields add to downside risks to economic growth. The potential direct effects on real activity are greatest in the US. But higher yields in other DMs could limit how far borrowing costs in the private sector fall and force the …
Inflation continues to accelerate The rise in Russian inflation to 9.5% y/y in December is likely to be followed by an increase to more than 10% early this year. The central bank has set a high bar for further tightening but we think the balance remains …
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack (Jan. '25) …
Easing cycle to stay on pause amid inflation and fiscal risks The National Bank of Romania (NBR) left its policy rate on hold again today, at 6.50%, amid continued concerns about the inflation outlook and the direction of fiscal policy post-election. We …
Increase in inflation may push CBN to deliver one last 25bp hike The further rise in Nigeria’s headline inflation rate, to 34.8% y/y in December, raises the risk that the central bank pushes ahead with one last interest rate hike at their next meeting in …
For so long the darling of global investors, India’s economy and financial markets have hit a sticky patch of late. What can policymakers do to get the economy out of its funk? And can markets make a roaring comeback? Just ahead of the all-important 1 st …
In a major surprise, Bank Indonesia today cut interest rates by 25bps (taking its main policy rate to 5.75%), citing the need to support economic growth. Given the central bank’s renewed focus on supporting the economy we are making adjustments to our …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Soft surprise boosts February rate cut odds While a lot of the surprisingly large fall in services inflation from 5.0% in November to 4.4% in December (CE forecast 4.8%, BoE …
It’s possible that prolonged weakness in economic activity and a jump in unemployment force the RBA to cut rates more aggressively than we’re anticipating. However, a more likely scenario resulting in below-neutral rates is that a sharper-than-expected …
Our base case is that a stabilisation and eventual fall back in gilt yields will allow the government to muddle through and wait until the next fiscal event on 26 th March before making any decisions on taxes and spending. However, a significant worsening …
14th January 2025
While the economy lost all momentum at the end of last year, we still expect GDP growth to accelerate from 0.8% in 2024 to an above-consensus 1.3% in 2025. Admittedly, activity could be restrained if the increase in the government’s borrowing costs due to …
13th January 2025
This week’s leap in gilt yields creates more problems for the Chancellor and is an extra headwind for the economy. But it is not a crisis. Admittedly, it is always worrying when UK bond yields rise by more than yields elsewhere and the pound weakens. …
10th January 2025
We expect the euro-zone economy to grow at only a sluggish pace this year, with southern economies outperforming the core. Germany’s election will lead to only a modest loosening of its restrictive “debt brake”. France’s budget deficit will remain very …
ECB to keep cutting rates gradually With data this week revealing that services inflation remained stuck at 4% in December, ECB policymakers will feel in no hurry to slash interest rates. (See here .) We have taken out the 50bp rate reduction that we had …
Copom to press ahead with more hikes despite fall in inflation The fall in Brazil’s headline inflation rate in December, to 4.8% y/y, coupled with the rebound in the real over the past couple of weeks, won’t be enough to stop Copom following through with …
Mozambique and the return of Mondlane Post-election unrest in Mozambique threatens to re-escalate with Daniel Chapo set to be inaugurated as the country’s next president on Wednesday and opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane returned to the country this …
Tight labour market muddies the waters Financial markets are becoming increasingly optimistic that the RBA’s next easing cycle is right around the corner. They are now pricing in a 70% chance that the Bank will hand down a 25bp cut at its meeting in …
Bank will probably wait until March While the Bank of Japan refrained from hiking interest rates at its December meeting, the case for further policy tightening remains intact. For a start, the “Summary of Opinions” of that meeting showed that at least …
With long-dated gilt yields hitting multi-decade highs, we held an online Drop-In session on Wednesday to discuss the outlook for the gilt market and the implications for government policy and the UK macro and housing market outlook. (See a recording here …
9th January 2025
As the president-elect again prepares to take office, our US team held a special briefing to walk clients through what to expect in the opening phase of the second Trump administration. … US Drop-In: Inauguration Day special – Knowns and unknowns around …
Fall in inflation paves the way for further easing The larger-than-expected fall in Mexico’s headline inflation rate, to 4.2% y/y in December keeps the door open for another 25bp cut at Banxico’s February meeting. But a lot will hinge on moves on the …
The troubling start to 2025 is casting doubt over our key non-consensus forecasts for 2025. But we still think other forecasters are underestimating how fast the economy will grow, how far inflation will fall and how many times the Bank of England will …
Inflation to continue on its downward path, rate cuts on the way Egypt’s headline inflation rate slowed from 25.5% y/y in November to 24.1% y/y in December, its slowest pace in two years. With earlier falls in the pound falling out of the annual price …
Our Japan Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. With real household incomes set to fall again this year, the rebound in consumer spending will start to lose momentum in 2025. Even so, with the yen set …
