CEE’s recovery moving into second gear The Q1 GDP figures released out of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) this morning show that growth strengthened across most of the region at the start of this year, and we expect a further modest pick up over the …
15th May 2024
Inflation holds steady but may pick up in H2 Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate was unchanged at 1.6% y/y in April and, while we think that there may be a slight acceleration at the start of Q3, the bigger picture is that inflation in the Kingdom is …
April’s inflation data confirm Riksbank unlikely to cut in June. The small increase in the Riksbank’s target CPIF measure of inflation, which excludes the effect of changes in interest rates, from 2.2% in March to 2.3% in April, was broadly as expected …
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has sought to present the 2024/25 Budget as one that strikes a balance between providing support to an ailing economy and keeping pressure off inflation. In our view, that’s disingenuous: the combination of increased government …
We are resending this publication to correct an error in the second paragraph. Slowdown in wage growth means RBA won’t hike any more Wages growth is easing more rapidly than the RBA had anticipated. While this will forestall any further policy tightening, …
Mortgage rates climbed back above 7% last month but we think that trend will soon reverse, with rates falling to 6.5% by year-end. Lower borrowing costs will draw more mortgaged buyers into the market. But supply will remain tight as the fall in mortgage …
14th May 2024
Even if interest in ‘meme’ stocks rebounds following a renewed surge in GameStop’s share price, some of the telltale signs that a bubble in the broader stock market may be entering its final stages – such as excessive leverage – are absent. This suggests …
The tariffs announced today on US imports from China won’t cause much direct economic damage since trade in the affected goods is already low. But US economic sanctions on China seem to act like a ratchet: they only ever get tighter. In many areas that …
The impact of the US tariffs announced today will barely register on the paltry flows of solar panels and electric vehicles that China directly exports to the US. However, the new tariffs could have a bigger impact on imports of Chinese-made batteries, …
Contrary to the earlier assumption that the US Federal Reserve would lead the monetary policy loosening cycle among advanced economies, it is Switzerland and Sweden that have cut first. This has reflected a combination of weaker inflation and softer …
We think the Bank of England will decide to start cutting rates at its next meeting, but there’s a series of crucial data releases between now and that policy decision on 20th June – not least the April CPI report due Wednesday, 22nd May . Our UK team …
We think the ECB’s June meeting will mark the start of a more aggressive rate cutting cycle than markets are currently pricing. How far and how fast will the Governing Council go to ease policy? And what will lower rates mean for the euro-zone economy and …
Increased immigration would be the easiest way for Singapore to offset a decline in the working age population. However, such a move would be politically controversial, and deciding how many foreign workers to allow into the country will be one of the …
PPI brings mixed news for PCE supercore The bigger-than-expected 0.5% m/m increases in both all items and core final demand producer prices in April were mainly due to downward revisions to earlier months, with the 0.2% m/m gains in March both revised to …
Minutes suggest Copom isn’t so divided The minutes to last week’s Brazilian central bank meeting suggest that the balance on Copom is, overall, more cautious than had been widely assumed immediately after the meeting. That may provide some support to the …
A key concern around South Africa’s upcoming election is that the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) could get into government as part of what’s being dubbed in some quarters as a “doomsday coalition” with the ANC. This Focus takes a closer look at …
This dashboard is our new go-to resource for keeping track of Chinese green technology exports. If you have any questions about the content, please contact david.oxley@capitaleconomics.com or hamad.hussain@capitaleconomics.com . CE Advance …
After weeks of rising tensions around the question of Chinese industrial overcapacity, the Biden administration has announced a new raft of tariffs on goods from China. But what will these latest actions mean for the US and Chinese economies? Will Europe …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Sticky wage growth is a lingering concern for the BoE While the further easing in regular private sector pay growth in March suggests that wage pressures faded a bit faster than …
We expect the RBNZ to leave policy settings unchanged at its meeting next week. Although the domestic economic backdrop is clearly weak, lingering risks around inflation persistence means policy loosening is unlikely to come onto the agenda before Q4. …
While we expect government bond yields in most developed markets to fall back, we think that those in Japan will stabilise around their current levels. In turn, we anticipate that interest rate differentials will provide support to the yen. The yield of …
13th May 2024
The dissolution of Kuwait’s parliament for the fourth time in two years highlights political infighting that has held back the economy for years. While much remains uncertain, there is now a clear path for fiscal policy to be loosened and help to unlock …
Easing cycle delayed, cut pushed back to Q3 Romania’s central bank (NBR) left its policy rate on hold at 7.00% today, in contrast to consensus expectations for a cut but in line with our own forecast. With inflation pressures falling more slowly than …
High net migration has led to a big jump in demand for rental properties that has pushed up the cost of rent compared to the average salary. But comparing rents to average pay is not as accurate a guide to tenant affordability as it used to be. Our …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Inflation edging closer to RBI’s 4% target Headline consumer price inflation edged down in April to an 11-month low and, looking ahead, we think it will reach the RBI’s 4% …
An increase in support for populist parties in European parliamentary elections in June will have little bearing on economic policy in the near term because the more centrist parties should still win a majority of seats. Nonetheless, rising populist …
The fiscal tightening steps announced by Turkey’s finance ministry today, which include a freeze on most public construction projects, will help to prevent the large budget deficit from widening even further this year and contribute to the rebalancing …
Capital flows into EM bonds and equities have fallen to their lowest in six months as investors have pared back expectations for Fed interest rate cuts. However, even with these moves, we remain more dovish than the market on the Fed and so believe there …
The US government’s reported plans to raise barriers on Chinese imports of green tech – including a potentially sharp rise in electric vehicle tariffs – could trigger a further ratcheting up of bilateral tensions around the issue of industrial …
Rebound in inflation set to be limited due to overcapacity PPI deflation eased and CPI inflation rose in March, but they remained relatively subdued compared with pre-pandemic norms. We think inflation will continue to edge up in the near term. But …
The blowout in the pipeline of unfinished houses during the pandemic will reverse by the end of this year. With building approvals very low, dwellings investment will therefore fall further. While this will only exacerbate the acute shortage of rental …
Credit downturn threatens the recovery Broad credit growth slowed sharply to its weakest pace on record last month. This threatens to derail the ongoing economic recovery and is likely to trigger additional policy easing. Increased fiscal support may help …
What’s missing from the China overcapacity row, that UK GDP data and an exclusive inflation briefing …
10th May 2024
The hawkish tone of Latin American central banks this week supports our view that loosening cycles in the region will proceed more gradually than many anticipate. But even so, we think most Latin American currencies will weaken by end-2024. This week’s …
The US dollar looks set to end the week broadly unchanged against most currencies, with its renewed strength against the yen being the key exception. Next week’s CPI data release out of the US could break the calm that has prevailed in FX markets over the …
Markets brace for April data dump After a quiet week for data this week, following April’s softer Employment Report, things will heat up again next week with April’s CPI report. CPI the new king of data releases CPI is now undoubtedly the most …
SA: coalition fears grab the headlines Electioneering in South Africa heated up this week as parties openly warned of the different scenarios that could come after this month’s polls. The scenario that is most worrying remains a left-wing coalition. The …
The strength of the April labour market data means we now expect the Bank of Canada to begin its loosening cycle in July, rather than June. Nonetheless, the sharp growth in labour supply and moderation in wage growth means we remain confident in our view …
Hungary straddling US-China divide Chinese President Xi’s visit to Hungary this week was the first by China’s head of state in 20 years and led to the establishment of an “all-weather partnership” between both countries. There are advantages to this …
With less than a month to go until OPEC+ meets to decide upon its next policy move, rumours are heating up as to what its move will be. Last week, anonymous OPEC+ sources suggested that the 2.2 million bpd of voluntary cuts would be extended once again, …
We held an online Drop-In session last week to discuss geopolitical risk and the commodities price outlook. ( View a recording here .) This Update answers several of the questions that we received. Q1: What Middle East escalation scenario do you consider …
Mexico: more support for Pemex? One of the central views of the Update we published earlier this week on Mexico’s public finances was that limited fiscal room combined with presidential frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum’s strong environmental credentials …
Battery production rules aim to limit overcapacity There was a concerted effort this week, across state media and from Xi Jinping himself, to push back against foreign suggestions that China’s rising exports of “new energy” products reflect overcapacity …
Although Japan’s equities and currency have generally moved in tandem in recent weeks, we think the historical inverse relationship between the two will reassert itself before long. We expect a stronger yen to become a headwind for Japan’s equities in the …
After a prolonged period of weakness, the West Coast ports have seen an improvement in trade volumes recently. However, industrial demand in these markets remains very weak and growing headwinds – most notably the threat of greater tariffs on Chinese …
Confidence slump leaves us wondering what we may be missing The renewed slump in the University of Michigan consumer sentiment gauge to a six-month low of 67.4 in May, from 77.2, is hard to explain given that gasoline prices are now falling again, the …
The shares of the very biggest, ‘mega-cap’, firms have generally outperformed those of smaller ones by less in Europe than they have in the US on net so far this decade. We expect that to remain the case through the end of 2025, as bond yields drop back …
With the Bank of England hinting on Thursday that it is close to cutting interest rates and that rates may need to fall further than investors expect, we have become a bit more confident in our view that, due to low inflation, rates will be cut from 5.25% …
Surge in employment suggests Bank will wait until July to cut The surge in employment in April shows that the fall in March was just a blip and suggests that the Bank of Canada is now more likely to wait until the July meeting to cut interest rates, …
Weak growth a concern for the central bank The central bank in the Philippines has left interest rates unchanged since a hike in October 2023. Another hold at its scheduled meeting on Thursday is almost certain. Instead, the main interest will be on the …
