Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
Note: Join our 6 th April online briefing all about the risks to EMs from banking turmoil. Register now . Central banks re-upping the pace of tightening Central banks in South Africa, Kenya and Ghana all delivered more aggressive interest rate hikes this …
31st March 2023
Join our 6 th April online briefing all about the risks to EMs from banking turmoil. Register now . The broad message from the recent spate of EM central bank meetings is that policymakers are still focussed on reining in inflation even as the global …
Central banks in Mexico and Colombia both delivered 25bp hikes yesterday, and hinted that these could be the end of their cycles. But, on balance, we think that the strength of inflation will prompt policymakers in both countries to deliver a final 25bp …
Note: Join our 6th April online briefing all about the risks to EMs from banking turmoil. Register now . Rosneft, IOC deal will keep Russian oil flowing We’ve made the case in much of our research that, in an increasingly fractured global economy that …
BoJ facing dilemma The economic data released this week underline the dilemma facing incoming Bank of Japan Governor Ueda. On the one hand, price pressures continue to strengthen. Inflation excluding fresh food and energy rose from 3.1% to 3.4% in the …
Note: Join our 6th April online briefing all about the risks to EMs from banking turmoil. Register now . CBE delivers, but more tightening still needed The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced that it raised interest rates by 200bp, taking the overnight …
30th March 2023
Even though equity prices in the UK have fallen further than in the US and the euro-zone since the US bank SVB failed and the European bank Credit Swisse was taken over, the pound has strengthened from $1.20 to $1.23. That is probably partly because of …
Click here to read the full report Overview – GDP growth in Latin America will be among the weakest of any EM region this year and next, and is likely to disappoint consensus expectations. Persistently high inflation has prompted us to push back our …
Table of Key Forecasts Global Overview – The strongest headwind for the global economy has shifted from an energy crisis and the related squeeze on real incomes to a potential banking crisis and associated drag on credit. Since banks are relatively …
Note: Join our 6 th April online briefing all about the risks to EMs from banking turmoil. Register now . H2-oh… Droughts in the Middle East and North Africa are becoming more frequent and more severe, with Morocco and Tunisia experiencing them right now. …
China’s official PMIs are likely to show economic momentum fading in March (02.30 BST) We think euro-zone headline inflation fell in March, while core remained strong (10.00 BST) Real consumption in the US probably changed little in February (13.30 BST) …
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) delivered a more-aggressive-than-expected 50bp interest rate hike, to 7.75%, today as hawks returned to the majority with a bang. But while the probability of another hike in May has increased, we think that easing …
Overview – There are encouraging signs that the energy crisis is receding, the worst of the downturn is passing and that inflation has peaked across the region, but this year will still be challenging. We expect below-consensus GDP growth in most …
Headline inflation tumbling, core peaking The big falls in headline inflation in Germany and Spain should provide some relief for struggling households in the coming months. And core inflation in Germany may now have passed its peak. However, with …
Note: Join our 6 th April online briefing all about the risks to EMs from banking turmoil. Register now . The turmoil in the global banking system over the past month has had a limited impact on Asia – currencies have held up well and outflows of capital …
Note: Join our 6 th April online briefing all about the risks to EMs from banking turmoil. Register now . Overview – Growth across the Middle East and North Africa is set to slow sharply, and by more than most expect, in 2023. IMF deals will help to …
Hike to repo rate (to 6.75%) next week will likely be last in the cycle Slower growth and inflation could mean MPC is laying groundwork for cuts before long Consensus coming round to our view that rates will be cut in early 2024 With the turmoil in the …
Overview – The economy made a strong start to 2023, but we continue to expect a moderate recession this year as high interest rates feed through and the banking issues in the US weigh on exports. The downturn will help to pull CPI inflation to 2% by the …
29th March 2023
Overview – Acute bank stress will prompt a further tightening in credit conditions, which leaves us even more convinced that the economy will fall into recession this year. With core inflation remaining stickier than we had originally expected, however, …
Hawkish CNB will turn to cuts in Q3 The Czech National Bank (CNB) left its policy rate on hold today, at 7.00%, for a sixth meeting in a row, and we now think that rate cuts are unlikely until the second half of this year. The decision to leave rates …
EM Drop-In (6th Apr.): Our latest EM online briefing is all about the risks around the recent bank turmoil, including potential economic spill-overs and the state of EM bank balance sheets. Register now . Spill-overs to EMs from the turmoil in the global …
Further tightening unlikely The Bank of Thailand (BoT) raised its main policy rate today by 25bps, to 1.75%. While most analysts expect at least one more hike we think a sharp drop in inflation will allow the central bank to hold fire and that this marks …
The RBNZ will temper rate rises, but continue hiking to 5.25%. The Bank will look past the disruption to activity driven by Cyclone Gabrielle. Even so, recession-induced disinflation will pave the way for rate cuts by year-end. With the latest economic …
Overview – Much of the economic boost from China’s reopening has already happened. While there is still some upside to consumer and services activity, weakened balance sheets and limited policy support mean the recovery will probably fizzle out by …
RBA has signalled that it will consider pausing its tightening cycle next week On balance, the economic data are consistent with a pause Final 25bp rate hike in May to be followed by cuts in Q2 2024 The RBA has signalled a pause in its tightening cycle at …
While CPI inflation will fall from 10.4% to around 3.5% this year, we think a recession involving a peak-to-trough fall in real GDP of around 1.0% is needed to ensure that domestic price pressures weaken to levels consistent with the 2.0% inflation …
28th March 2023
Overview – The euro-zone economy is set to perform much worse than consensus forecasts suggest over the next two years, with a recession looking likely. That is mainly because monetary policy and bank lending conditions are tightening. We expect …
Recent turmoil in the banking sector may have been a US and European story, but there are potentially important angles for Emerging Market investors. Our latest EM Drop-In explored the economic spill-over risks from the recent panic and the …
MNB to keep rates higher for longer as inflation risks persist Hungary’s central bank (MNB) left its benchmark base rate on hold today (at 13.00%) and it is looking increasingly likely that this rate will not be cut until Q4 at the earliest. The phasing …
Softness in retail sales raises risk of RBA pause The tepid rise in retail sales in February all but locks in a contraction in sales volumes in Q1. We think that a stronger rise in services spending will help keep private consumption buoyant this quarter. …
Softness in retail sales raises risk of RBA pause The tepid rise in retail sales in February all but locks in a contraction in sales volumes in Q1 and adds to the case for the RBA pausing its rate hiking cycle next week. The 0.2% m/m rise in retail sales …
One of the main channels through which the Gulf countries are exposed to worries about the health of the global banking system in through energy markets, with the price of Brent crude falling by 13% so far this month. If prices were to stay at current …
24th March 2023
Bolivia walking into a crisis Bolivia’s balance of payments problems entered a more acute phase this week. Commercial banks stopped providing FX to residents, forcing the central bank to do so itself. And there was some doubt (now resolved) whether the …
The flash PMIs for March suggest that not only did advanced economies avoid recession in Q1, but the outlook for activity has improved as well. However, we still think the hit from higher interest rates will intensify . And with services price pressures …
SARB to follow CBN in delivering dovish hike Nigeria’s central bank shrugged off the recent banking sector turmoil and kept its eye firmly focussed on tackling inflation as it hiked interest rates this week and, on balance, we think the South African …
As we discussed in our “Drop In” webinar after this week’s Bank of England policy decision (see here ), the 25 basis points (bps) hike in interest rates, from 4.00% to 4.25%, could prove to be the end of the tightening cycle. But it is the data on the …
The Fed will need to wait at least another few weeks for clearer evidence of the impact from the recent banking sector turmoil, but we expect economic weakness will convince officials to move to the side-lines before long. Although the Fed pressed ahead …
Norges Bank and SNB raise rates Undeterred by global banking turmoil, the Norges Bank and SNB focused on inflation this week and – in line with decisions by the ECB, Bank of England and the Fed – raised interest rates. The Norges Bank lifted its policy …
A few key points on Europe’s banks We discussed the recent turmoil in the banking sector in a Drop-in this week. (See here , or you can listen to a shorter version on our podcast here .) The big picture is that there are reasons to be cautiously …
Overview – High interest rates and weak export demand will weigh on the region’s economies this year, and we expect below-trend and below-consensus growth in most countries in 2023. The exceptions are China, which has rebounded strongly on the back of a …
The dovish tone of the RBA's March minutes has heightened the risks to our forecast for two more 25bp rate hikes in April and May. However, the Board did reiterate that its decision regarding a pause would hinge on the economic data released before its …
Financial markets across Sub-Saharan Africa have struggled – and have underperformed their EM peers – since the global banking sector turmoil erupted. Amid broad risk-off sentiment, African sovereign dollar bonds have sold off nearly across the board and …
23rd March 2023
The Bank of England followed the Fed’s example by forging ahead today with a 25 basis point (bps) interest rate hike, taking rates from 4.00% to 4.25%. This could prove to be the last hike of the tightening cycle. But if wage growth and CPI services …
Crisis of confidence at crunch CBE meeting The Central Bank of Egypt’s decision in February to leave interest rates on hold looks to have been a policy misstep and, with inflation surging and growing concerns over the commitment to orthodox policymaking, …
This webpage has been updated with a Table and Chart of the key figures. Stronger services inflation to keep Banxico tightening Mexico’s headline inflation rate dropped back by more than expected, to 7.1% y/y, in the first half of March but the further …
CBRT keeps rates on hold after one-off cut in February Turkey’s central bank (CBRT) left its key policy rate on hold at 8.50% today as policymakers kept monetary conditions loose to support activity after the earthquakes in February. Interest rates are …
This morning’s 50bp interest rate hike by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), to 1.50%, was in line with expectations and shows that, like the ECB and Fed, Swiss policymakers have not been distracted from their inflation-fighting task by problems in the …
In a surprise move, Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) today raised its main policy rate by 12.5bps (to 1.875%), but with the economy struggling badly and inflationary pressures set to ease further, we think this was the last hike of the tightening cycle. The …
The Norges Bank’s 25bp rate hike today was accompanied by new verbal guidance that it is likely to raise rates further in May. Together with the new, higher interest rate forecast, this supports our view that the policy rate will peak at 3.5% and stay …
The central bank of the Philippines (BSP) today slowed the pace of tightening as it raised its main policy rate by 25bps (to 6.25%), and hinted that the tightening cycle was now approaching an end. Although inflation has now started to fall, it remains …