Even though it’s difficult to identify what could have broken as a result of the recent rapid market moves, a stronger yen is a bigger threat to the health of Japan’s financial institutions than falling stock prices. The Topix has reversed half of the …
7th August 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Falling mortgage rates boost house prices After three months of stagnation, the bigger-than-expected rise in the Halifax house price index in July provides further evidence that …
We are in the minority of forecasters who expect the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to hand down a 25bp rate cut at its meeting next week. Moreover, with excess capacity in the economy rising rapidly, we think the Bank will embark on a more aggressive easing …
Exports to stay robust, helped by NEER depreciation Growth in export values slowed last month, but this was mainly due to lower export prices. Export volumes remained near record highs. We expect outbound shipments to stay strong for a while, not least …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. RBNZ will welcome continued loosening of the labour market Although employment growth in Q2 was stronger than most had anticipated, it didn’t keep the unemployment rate from …
Although the UK has clearly been caught up in the recent turmoil in global financial markets, we do not think a double-dip recession is on the cards. Nonetheless, the disorderly market reaction, if sustained, raises the downside risks to our GDP forecast …
6th August 2024
The minutes to last week’s central bank meeting in Brazil raised the possibility that policymakers will respond to the worsening inflation outlook by hiking interest rates. And despite the sharp shift down in US interest rate expectations since that …
25bp cut likely to be followed by more easing The Central Bank of Kenya delivered a 25bp cut to its policy rate, to 12.75%, at its meeting today as it embarked on long-trailed easing cycle and, with inflation set to fall further from here, additional cuts …
A pullback in buyer demand paired with rising supply has cooled the market, causing house price inflation to ease. However, the recent sharp decline in mortgage rates will offset some of that softness, by lifting demand from its current slump – providing …
While the UK led the recovery in investment activity in Q4 last year, the latest data suggest the US and euro-zone are now also turning a corner. But given concerns over economic growth in all three markets alongside structurally higher long-term rates, …
While the recent financial market meltdown has pushed some euro-zone government bond spreads up, we don’t see good reasons for risk sentiment to remain so downbeat. So we expect the upward pressure on those spreads to ease soon. But we think the relief …
The UAE’s economy has been the strongest performer in the Gulf over the past year or so and a robust non-oil sector should help the UAE retain its crown as the fastest growing economy in the region. Recently-released Q1 GDP data from Abu Dhabi and Dubai …
Domestic demand remains intact There was little sign of weakening domestic demand in the international trade data for June, with imports rising. Exports rose even more sharply, causing the trade deficit to narrow, although the forward-looking indicators …
Jump in exports an upside risk to GDP growth The strength of oil exports in June suggests that GDP in the second quarter will come in stronger than the 2.1% annualised gain that the flash estimate implied. Coupled with stronger consumer goods imports, …
The sharp fall in oil prices over the past week shows that fears of a US recession have so far outweighed concerns about conflict in the Middle East. But we think that oil prices have fallen too far, and will rise back to $80pb by the end of the year. …
The euro-zone data do not scream “rate cut” – the economy is growing at a steady pace and domestic inflation has stabilised at a high level. But we suspect that most ECB policymakers will judge that a cut is justified next month, and recent concerns about …
Retail sector to pick up over the coming months Retail sales fell in June but we think they will gradually rise over the remainder of the year on the back of strong real household income growth and falling interest rates. The 0.3% m/m decline in retail …
Construction activity rebounds, helped by housing The headline CIPS construction PMI rebounded in July, more than reversing the small fall in June to reach 55.3, the highest reading since May 2022. That rise was driven by the housing component, with the …
Sentiment has improved in Asian markets today, especially in Japan where equities have rallied very strongly. We think there are a few observations worth noting of relevance for global markets. First, we’re still sceptical that the unwinding of the yen …
Markets sell off …
Although the RBA left rates on hold today, it poured cold water on market expectations that it will loosen policy later this year. With the economy still running above its speed limit, we continue to believe that rate cuts won’t be on the agenda until Q2 …
With RBA retaining its tightening bias, rate cuts will have to wait Although the RBA continued to strike a cautious tone when it left rates on hold today, we still believe that the Bank’s next move will be down. That said, contrary to market pricing, we …
Japan’s government has intervened in the FX markets to weaken the yen far more often than to strengthen it. But FX interventions have become very rare over the past two decades and our sense is that the government is welcoming a stronger exchange rate in …
Strong wage growth adds to case for further BoJ tightening The enormous rise in labour cash earnings in June was mostly driven by a jump in summer bonus that won’t be sustained, but the figures clearly point to another BoJ rate hike later this year if the …
The outbreak of political violence and the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rocked Bangladesh today. But provided that peace and stability is restored relatively soon, the economy is unlikely to suffer major long-term effects. Sheikh …
5th August 2024
We doubt the AI-fuelled rally in global equities has burst, despite a rout in the stock market in the US after some disappointing data there last week and a plunge in Asian indices today . It feels less like 2000 – when the dotcom bubble popped – than …
Despite the weakness of the latest labour market data, we judge that a soft landing is still the most likely outcome for the economy. Nonetheless, the risk of a hard landing has increased, while the disorderly market reaction – if sustained – could prompt …
Tourism in the euro-zone is likely to continue growing at a decent pace over the coming quarters due to rising real wages and increased capacity. This will be a particular boon to the southern economies, which in general we think will continue to grow …
Rise in ISM services index should soothe recession fears The rebound in the ISM services index to 51.4 isn’t much to get excited about given it remains weak, but the corresponding increase in the employment index should soothe concerns that the labour …
Fears of a US recession have rattled EM equity markets at a time when EM economies themselves are showing more pronounced signs of weakness. Most EM currencies have held up well, suggesting a dovish tilt may come from EM central banks – particularly those …
The impact of the cost-of-living crisis, which has been weighing on London industrial take-up, has a bit further to run. But London is well-positioned to benefit from the rise in consumer spending we expect from 2025. Coupled with supply constraints, …
So much for the summer lull. Stock markets are in turmoil and bond yields have plunged as fears about a US recession have taken hold. For all the challenges in gauging where economies and markets are heading amidst massive spikes in volatility such as we …
Non-oil sectors in the Gulf continue to cool This response has been updated with additional analysis, including of Qatar's PMI. July’s batch of PMIs were softer across the board, adding to signs that activity in private non-hydrocarbon sectors in the Gulf …
Fears about US recession are fuelling volatility in financial markets, sending stock prices and bond yields sharply lower. But how justified are these fears? And do moves in asset prices point to a fundamental shift or a temporary blip in the market …
The yen surged today, and some Asian equity indices plunged, as investors worried about a “hard landing” in the US economy. We think there are two key questions to consider. First, could the yen rally any further? It has now surpassed our long-held …
Disinflation process underway, but it will take time The large fall in headline inflation in Turkey in July will provide some comfort to the central bank that the disinflation process remains on track, although it will take time for policymakers to be …
The national accounts data released today suggest that economic growth remained broadly stable last quarter, but we don’t have much faith in the official data. With economic activity set to weaken in the coming quarters, and concerns about inflation …
While faster wage growth should eventually result in a significant pick-up in rental inflation, it seems likely that rental growth will trail income growth for the foreseeable future. That means that the Bank of Japan will have to let the economy run …
Renewed fears of a US recession have increased the chances of additional rate cuts from the Fed. But we don’t think that the US economy will stand in the way of an equity rally for much longer. The US Employment Report for July released today seemingly …
2nd August 2024
Between a dovish message from the FOMC on Wednesday and a shockingly weak non-farm payrolls report today, the dollar is ending a turbulent week on the back foot. US interest rate expectations have seen a massive drop as recession fears now appear to have …
The data this week suggested that second-quarter GDP growth was a touch stronger than expected at 2.1% annualised. We expect higher oil export capacity and strong immigration to prevent a sharp slowdown this year, but with neither tailwind preventing …
Labour market cracks raise risk of hard landing Things went from bad to worse after the Fed’s policy announcement mid-week, with the data on Thursday revealing a further fall in the ISM manufacturing index and a rise in initial jobless claims to a near …
With that grim July payrolls report triggering fresh selling in US stocks and bond buying on Friday, Group Chief Economist Neil Shearing and Deputy Chief Markets Economist Jonas Goltermann join David Wilder to talk about whether there's anything to …
We will be holding a Drop-In next Thursday at 15.00 BST discussing financial risk across the EM world. Register for the 20-minute online briefing here . Nigeria turns back to Ways and Means facility Nigeria’s government raised the limit of its Ways and …
The US dollar has remained rangebound against most other major currencies in July, even as expected interest rates have fallen sharply in the US in the wake of softer inflation and employment data. That reflects falling interest rate expectations …
This week was a good example of a “hawkish cut” from the Bank of England. The cut bit; the first 25 basis point (bp) fall in interest rates since March 2020. The hawkish bit; the Bank stated very clearly that it doesn’t expect to cut rates too much or too …
We will discuss our latest EM Financial Risk Monitor in a Drop-In next Thursday. Register here for the 20-minute online briefing. By hook or by crook The declaration that incumbent Nicolás Maduro won Venezuela’s presidential election was met with …
We will be holding a Drop-In next Thursday at 15.00 BST discussing financial risk across the EM world. Register for the 20-minute online briefing here . Tensions in the Middle East rising after Israeli strikes The rocket strike on the Israeli-occupied …
China’s economy has slowed recently but we think it will regain some momentum during the second half of the year. Consumers remain cautious and the housing market continues to weaken. But exports look set to stay strong for a while longer. And the …
