Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
Overview – High energy and agricultural prices helped to cushion Latin American economies over the first half of the year, but the second half will be much more challenging. As growth slows, fiscal concerns are likely to come back to the fore. And in the …
21st July 2022
The latest population projections released by the UN this month show that India will overtake China as the world’s most populous nation in 2023 (see Chart 1), a touch earlier than previously expected. The UN also projects that India’s working-age …
The incoming activity data now show clearer signs of weakness, particularly in the most interest-rate sensitive components of spending. But there are still few signs of that moderation morphing into a recession. The rise in mortgage rates has weighed on …
Overview – The spillovers from the war in Ukraine are driving a divergence in the region’s outlook. Higher oil output and looser policy will drive above-consensus GDP growth in the Gulf this year and next. Elsewhere, though, external and debt problems …
The rise in local currency bond yields across the emerging world poses a particular risk to fiscal positions in those EMs with large government financing needs and a short average debt maturity. Egypt, Pakistan, and Ghana stand out as those most …
Bank Indonesia (BI) left interest rates unchanged again today, and the dovish commentary from the press conference means we are pushing back the timing for the first hike from Q3 into Q4. With growth set to slow over the coming quarters and inflation to …
The near-term economic outlook has deteriorated in recent months and Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark are set for mild recessions in late 2022 and early 2023. This is partly a function of external weakness; as highly open economies, the recession in the …
The Bank of Japan didn’t concede any ground to bond traders today but we still think there’s a good chance that it will widen the tolerance band around its 10-year yield target . The Bank kept its short-term policy rate at -0.1% and its 10-year yield …
It looks like Italy is heading for an early general election. While that won’t necessarily cause an economic and financial crisis, bond spreads are likely to widen regardless of what the ECB announces later today. After the Lega, Five Star Movement and …
The minutes of the RBA’s July meeting showed that the Bank debated a smaller 25bp rate hike but ended up hiking rates by 50bp. Those minutes also included a discussion of the level of the neutral interest rate, which will come into touching distance …
We expect lift-off from the ECB and a rate hike in South Africa too… …but think that central banks in Indonesia, Turkey and Japan will stand pat Gas exports to Europe via NordStream are scheduled to resume tomorrow Key Market Themes The release of strong …
20th July 2022
Overview – Economies in Emerging Europe were resilient in the first half of this year, but the outlook has deteriorated markedly as headwinds have strengthened. Inflation is likely to continue rising and we think that GDP will do little more than stagnate …
Overview – The Bank’s aggressive policy tightening will weigh heavily on domestic demand, with consumption growth set to slow sharply while residential investment plunges back to pre-pandemic levels. There is scope for the economy to avoid recession if …
The Q2 ECB bank lending survey showed a tightening in credit standards for commercial property lending in the first half of the year, with expectations for a further squeeze in H2. With the cost of debt also higher, more restrictive credit will weigh on …
Overview – Further interest rate hikes are likely across the region in the near term, and we have raised some of our year-end forecasts to reflect growing concern among the region’s policymakers about inflation. However, with economic growth likely to …
With inflation expectations contained, Fed won’t risk abrupt 100bp shock Pace of rate hikes likely to slow once Fed has policy back to neutral stance Fed funds rate to peak at close to 4% early next year and fall below 3% by end-2024 The Fed is set to …
Policymakers in a bind after another jump in inflation The jump in inflation in South Africa to 7.4% y/y in June keeps a 75bp interest rate hike on the table at the SARB’s meeting tomorrow. But with policymakers clearly concerned about the weakness of the …
Global pressures peaking, domestic pressures strengthening There are some encouraging signs that the upward pressure on underlying inflation from global factors has started to ease. But as it is being replaced by stronger upward pressure from domestic …
We doubt that the upcoming review of Australia’s monetary policy framework will result in a change to the RBA’s 2-3% inflation target. But the Bank could be forced to put more emphasis on house prices, reduce the frequency of Board meetings, and …
Overview – We expect the economy to avoid a recession only narrowly, as higher interest rates trigger a contraction in residential investment and weakness in consumption growth. Core inflation has been stronger than we expected this year but, on balance, …
19th July 2022
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) followed up May’s 150bp interest rate hike with a 100bp increase in the benchmark rate today, to 14.00%, as worries about inflation continued to mount. We now expect a 50bp hike at the next MPC meeting, although with …
Most large EMs are weathering the environment of rising global interest rates and a strong dollar relatively well. That said, countries with large current account deficits , most notably Chile and Hungary , are finding their currencies in the crosshairs, …
18th July 2022
Overview – A rise in CPI inflation from the 40-year high of 9.1% in May to a peak of 12% or higher in October will reduce real incomes by enough to mean that a recession now seems inevitable. Our forecast that real household disposable income will fall by …
Overview – Supply shortages and continued virus caution will result in a weaker recovery in Japan than most anticipate. With wage growth sluggish too, the Bank of Japan won’t see a need to lift its policy rates. However, we expect the Bank to widen the …
Inflation has probably peaked The stronger-than-expected rise in consumer prices in Q2 adds some upside risks to our forecast that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will lift rates to 3.5%, but we still think that weaker economic activity will force the …
The Bank of Canada justified its 100 bp interest rate hike on the basis that front-loading hikes has historically raised the chance of a “soft landing”. With the pace of house price declines already gathering pace ahead of that move, however, we are not …
15th July 2022
The bigger-than-expected rise in CPI inflation to 9.1% in June triggered speculation that the Fed might follow the Bank of Canada with a 100bp rate hike later this month. But the disappointing activity data and drop back in inflation expectations means …
UK CPI inflation may have risen further in June (Tue.) We expect a 25bp hike from the ECB next week... (Thu.) ...while the Bank of Japan could widen its tolerance band for the 10-year JGB yield (Thu.) Key Market Themes We think that several data releases …
Brazil’s ‘kamikaze’ social transfers Brazil’s fiscal rules took another blow this week after congress approved a constitutional amendment (the so-called ‘kamikaze’ amendment) that will expand social transfers. Spending will increase by 41bn reais, or 0.4% …
While a lot of attention has focussed naturally on the potential implications for the JGB market of a further tweaking of the Bank of Japan’s Yield Curve Control (YCC), the country’s huge investment in markets overseas means that they too might …
The latest population projections released by the UN this week reaffirm that demographics will support strong GDP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa in the long run. But similarly robust income convergence is likely to remain a pipe dream. Chart 1: Total …
Further tightening over the coming months Asian policymakers turned decidedly more hawkish this week, with the Bank of Korea raising interest rates by 50bp for the first time in its history on Wednesday. This was followed by unscheduled monetary …
Monday went from bad to worse in Norway Monday proved a day to forget for Norwegian economists and football fans, with another increase in core inflation in the morning compounded by an 8-nil drubbing by England in the evening. Admittedly, the increase in …
New forecasts We published our quarterly European Economic Outlook this week, which contains all of our latest forecasts for the euro-zone, its member states and the ECB. In this Weekly , we will highlight three of our key calls on the economic outlook. …
Tax revenues surging The Bank of Japan’s flow of funds figures show that the budget deficit was a still large 6.6% of GDP in the year to March. (See Chart 1.) In fact, we estimate that the deficit widened sharply in Q1 to around 10% of GDP in …
INR settlement unlikely to see widespread use The RBI announced earlier this week that it has put in place a mechanism for international trade to be settled directly in rupees “in order to promote growth of global trade” and “support the increasing …
Labour market tightening rapidly On balance, the economic data released this week are consistent with our view that the Reserve Bank of Australia will tighten policy more aggressively than most anticipate. Admittedly, the further slide in consumer …
ECB will raise its rates by 25bp and signal 50bp likely in September. Deposit rate will rise to +1.25% by year-end and +2.0% next year. Policymakers may not agree anti-fragmentation tool next week. ECB policymakers are likely to follow through on their …
14th July 2022
We think “quantitative tightening” (QT) may put upward pressure on long-dated Treasury yields over the coming years. But we think that changes in investors’ expectations for the fed funds rate will remain a far more important driver of these yields and …
Overview – The euro-zone looks on course to fall into a mild recession in the coming quarters. Real incomes are falling, business sentiment has plummeted and growth in the region’s export markets is slowing. Nevertheless, the labour market is likely to …
The resumption of the loan deal between Pakistan and the IMF should put the economy back on a more secure footing and limit the biggest downside risks. But the cuts to government spending that the deal requires, combined with hikes to interest rates, will …
Stronger-than-expected inflation strengthens case for front loading hikes The stronger-than-expected increase in Swedish inflation in June will only strengthen the resolve of policymakers to squeeze inflation out of the system and raises the chance that …
WPI inflation has probably peaked Wholesale price inflation in India dropped back in June from its record high, and now appears to have passed its peak. CPI inflation will also peak in the next few months, but in the near term it’s still likely to rise …
Board will lift FY2022 inflation forecast but predict below-target inflation thereafter Interest rate targets will remain unchanged for years However, calm in bond markets provides window for tolerance band widening The Bank of Japan will signal prolonged …
The decision by the central bank in the Philippines to raise its benchmark policy rate by a further 75bp (to 3.25%) at an unscheduled meeting reflects mounting concerns about inflation. Further hikes seem likely, and we are changing our end-year forecast …
Recent data suggest that global economic activity was even weaker than we initially thought in Q2, with GDP probably contracting in several major economies including the euro-zone, UK and China. The earliest signs for Q3 are not good, with business …
13th July 2022
We expect Chile’s central bank to hike by 50bp (Wed. 23.00 BST) Inflation in Sweden probably rose further above target last month (Thurs. 07.00 BST) Clients can watch our Drop-In on the latest US CPI surprise here Key Market Themes While we expect …
The Bank of Canada’s 100 bp hike today and its accompanying communications have led us to upgrade our forecast for the policy rate to 3.5% by the October policy meeting, from 3.0%. As the commodity price and global supply chain assumptions underpinning …
Another inflation shocker nails on a 75bp hike this month The stronger than expected 1.3% rise in consumer prices in June, which pushed headline inflation to 9.1%, from 8.6%, nails on another 75bp rate hike at the July FOMC meeting. But with commodity …
The Bank of Korea today raised its main policy rate by 50bp (to 2.25%), and further hikes are likely in the near term given worries about inflation. But with economic growth set to slow and inflation concerns likely to ease later in the year, we think the …
