Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
250bp rate cut this week on the cards The weaker-than-expected Turkish inflation figure for February, of 2.3% m/m, will provide some reassurance that the spike in January was a one-off. And it keeps the door open for the central bank to lower the one-week …
3rd March 2025
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 …
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
China Chart Pack (Feb. 25) …
It has not even been a week since the German election and the presumptive next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is already dealing with a fiscal dilemma. Specifically, how to finance the increase in defence and public infrastructure spending that Germany …
More concessions may be coming One of the major talking points from our recent meetings with clients, policymakers and contacts in India was (unsurprisingly) the threat of Trump tariffs. As we noted here, India is one of the most exposed countries …
Mexico: tariffs loom (again) The coming days looks set to be dominated by tariffs, with President Trump (after some confusion around the timing) confirmed that the 25% tariff on Mexico (as well as Canada) will “indeed go into effect as scheduled” on …
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 …
Saied’s unorthodoxy keeps Tunisia on risky path Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has resumed his attacks on the central bank, Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT), and seems set on having the state take over the Bank’s responsibilities. We’ve long warned that …
27th February 2025
ECB set to cut deposit rate by 25bp next week, decision probably unanimous. We expect more dissent over future decisions, and chance of a pause in April has risen. But we still think the ECB will cut rates by more than most expect this year. The ECB looks …
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, …
Bank Indonesia now owns a larger share of government bonds than some DM central banks did at the height of their pandemic QE programmes. Amidst worries that the fiscal guardrails are coming off, BI’s continued bond purchases could create the impression …
India’s economy is in the midst of a softer patch which we think will continue for a few more quarters. Headline CPI inflation is now within touching distance of the Reserve Bank’s 4% target and looks set to continue easing over the coming months. The RBI …
26th February 2025
Softer price pressures pave the way for further rate cuts The smaller-than-expected increase in South Africa’s headline inflation rate, to 3.2% y/y, supports our view that the Reserve Bank can press ahead with its easing cycle over the coming months. The …
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 …
BoT to cut rates further over the coming year Thailand’s central bank (BoT) today cut interest rates by a further 25bps (to 2.00%), and we think more easing is likely before the end of the year. Today’s decision was predicted by just 10 out of the 26 …
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 …
President Trump’s trade and other policies might cause turbulence over the next few years, but they are unlikely to derail the megatrends which will shape the global economy in the long run. We still expect AI to drive a revival in productivity growth …
25th February 2025
MNB on hold ... and probably for some time The Hungarian central bank (MNB) left its base rate on hold again today, at 6.50%, and we think that its easing cycle will remain on pause throughout 2025. That’s a more hawkish view than the latest consensus …
Inflation jumps, Copom to deliver more tightening The jump in Brazil’s headline inflation rate to 5.0% y/y in the first half of February means Copom will almost certainly press ahead with another 100bp hike in the Selic rate to, 14.25%, at its March …
A week spent visiting clients, policymakers and contacts in India underlines that the digital economy is thriving, that there is hope that India will not be hit hard by Trump’s tariffs, and that much-needed improvements in macroeconomic data reporting …
The Bank of Korea today cut interest rates by a further 25bps (to 2.75%) and made clear that further easing is on the way. With growth set to struggle and inflation likely to remain low, we are sticking with our view that the policy rate will be lowered …
The Australian and New Zealand dollars have fared worse than almost every other currency over the past few months. We think they will continue to do so. The US dollar has been on the back foot lately, unwinding some of its earlier Trump-era gains as US …
Further interest rate cuts coming The Bank of Korea cut interest rates today by 25bps (to 2.75%) – the third cut in the past four meetings. The move was predicted by 35 out of 36 analysts polled by Reuters, including ourselves. The central bank will …
BoI leaves rates on hold, but getting closer to easing The communications accompanying the decision by the Bank of Israel (BoI) to leave its policy rate on hold again today, at 4.50%, were slightly less hawkish than at the previous meeting, and support …
24th February 2025
Odds shifting in favour of another 50bp cut The fall in core inflation in Mexico in the first half of February combined with weak economic activity, means that Banxico is likely to press ahead with another 50bp cut at its meeting next month. The outturn …
Polish economy starts 2025 on the front foot The stronger-than-expected activity data out of Poland for January suggest the economy has carried over some of the positive momentum from the end of last year. Alongside the recent strength of inflation, this …
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
SA Budget: GNU coalition under strain South Africa is still reeling from this week’s surprise last minute Budget postponement and concerns about divisions within the GNU are likely to rise. We set out our initial thoughts to the delay in a Rapid Response …
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 …
CBE stands pat, but easing around the corner The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) left its overnight deposit rate unchanged at 27.25% today but, with inflation set to slow sharply over the next couple of months, we think policymakers will start the monetary …
20th February 2025
Talks between the US and Russia have raised expectation about an end to the war in Ukraine, but we are not yet factoring a peace agreement into our forecasts. Even if a deal is reached, the macroeconomic implications would crucially depend on the features …
EM GDP growth picked up in the second half of 2024 but faces headwinds this year from tight policy at home and challenges abroad. Our growth forecasts generally sit below the consensus. Monetary easing will continue but, outside Asia, high inflation means …
Rates on hold, CBN to turn to easing soon The Central Bank of Nigeria confirmed today that its tightening cycle was at an end by leaving the policy rate at 27.50% today, and we think its attention will quickly turn to rate cuts, probably beginning in May …
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 …
We still think the PBOC will allow the renminbi to depreciate against the US dollar, perhaps quite significantly, by the end of the year. We suspect there are a few reasons that China’s central bank declined to cut its benchmark Loan Prime Rates today …
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
We expect Korea’s economy to grow by just 1.0% this year, with the political crisis and the downturn in the property sector set to weigh heavily on demand. Our forecast is well below both the consensus expectation and our estimate of trend growth. We …
Rates on hold, but further easing likely later in the year Bank Indonesia today left its main policy rate unchanged (at 5.75%) but hinted that further easing was likely later in the year. We are maintaining our view the central bank will cut rates …
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 …
Nigeria’s headline inflation rate came in at 24.5% y/y in January after the national statistics office made substantial methodological changes and, while we do not yet have the full information to predict the exact path for inflation going forward, fading …
18th February 2025
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 …
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 …
Some major Latin American economies are among the most exposed to the steel and aluminium tariffs (Mexico and Brazil) and reciprocal tariffs (Argentina and Brazil) announced recently by US President Trump. But neither Brazil nor Argentina are heavily …
17th February 2025
The outcomes of central bank meetings over the last few weeks underscore the point that Asia will lead the next phase of the EM monetary easing cycle this year, alongside Mexico. Meanwhile, there are a handful of EM central banks (particularly in Central …
