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Fall in inflation but Riksbank still not done This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. The drop in inflation in September was a little smaller than we and the consensus had anticipated and strengthens the case for the …
13th October 2023
In contrast to the past few years, when the risks to the euro-zone inflation outlook have been consistently skewed to the upside, those risks now look more balanced. So in this Focus , we explore the downside risks and how the ECB might respond to them. …
12th October 2023
There may be more political support for the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the European Union than in some other economies. However, it is still uncertain whether it will ever see the light of day or whether there would be much …
11th October 2023
Lower inflation suggests that Norges Bank is done As a result of September’s weaker-than-expected inflation data from Norway, we now think that Norges Bank’s tightening cycle is over . The decline in CPI inflation from 4.8% in August to 3.3% in September …
10th October 2023
The recent shift towards looser fiscal policy in Italy and increase in sovereign bond yields once again have raised concerns that investors may lose confidence in Italy’s ability to sustain its debt burden. We don’t think this will morph into an acute …
9th October 2023
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Weakness in German industry to continue The further drop in German industrial production in August was better than it looked as it was driven by volatile components. However, it …
We expect the euro-zone economy to struggle over the next 18 months, and a mild recession in the coming quarters looks more likely than not. Headline and core inflation should keep falling, but the labour market will remain tight, keeping wage growth …
6th October 2023
What to make of the bond market sell-off? We have covered the implications of the bond sell-off for the global economy here . Three additional points are worth making in relation to the euro-zone. First, the increase in yields and associated tightening of …
The sell-off in bond markets has taken a breather today, helped in part by softer data on the US labour market. However, the scale of the moves over the past week has invoked comparisons to previous financial crises that have been caused by sharp moves in …
4th October 2023
The resilience of investment in the euro-zone to higher interest rates and slowing economic growth at the start of the year appears to have been driven in part by the gradual clearing of backlogs in various industries. This has now come to an end and we …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Euro-zone headed for recession The drop in retail sales in August and weakness in the final PMIs for September are consistent with our view that the euro-zone economy will fall …
This publication has been updated with additional analysis. Inflation rising, but not for long The rise in Switzerland’s headline inflation rate in September was largely due to the increase in oil prices in recent months, which caused energy inflation to …
3rd October 2023
We suspect that before the end of the year, the ECB will announce that it will end PEPP reinvestments before the end of 2024. This would allow the ECB to shrink its balance sheet more quickly and reinforce the message that monetary policy will remain …
2nd October 2023
The increase in euro-zone bond yields earlier this week was a function of shifting global sentiment rather than a response to news from Europe itself. But it is a reminder that there are still underlying concerns about euro-zone public finances. In a week …
29th September 2023
The Italian government’s decision to raise its deficit targets suggests it is trying to get away with as little fiscal tightening as possible. With EU fiscal rules set to come back into force next year, that raises the risk of tensions escalating between …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Monetary policy to stay tight despite big fall in inflation September’s sharp drop in euro-zone inflation was largely due to base effects, but core inflation also came in below …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Euro-zone sentiment weakens further The weak outturn for the euro-zone’s EC Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) in September supports our view that the economy will contract in …
28th September 2023
German state figures point to big drop in euro-zone inflation The big drop in CPI inflation across German states in September all but confirms that German and euro-zone HICP inflation also fell sharply this month. While this mainly reflects base effects …
Overview – We expect the euro-zone economy to struggle over the next 18 months, and a mild recession in the coming quarters looks more likely than not. Lower energy prices and improved global supply chain conditions should keep headline inflation on a …
27th September 2023
The latest euro-zone money and credit data show that tighter ECB policy is continuing to weigh on households’ and firms’ borrowing, as well as influencing what they do with their savings. The weakness in money and lending growth supports our view that the …
Ifo points to renewed contraction in German GDP in Q3 The Ifo Business Climate Index (BCI) confirmed that the German economy remained in the doldrums in September. We continue to expect contractions in GDP in both Q3 and Q4 of this year. The small fall in …
25th September 2023
We do not expect the recent rise in oil prices to cause the ECB to hike rates, as the impact on headline inflation will be limited. Since the end of June, the Brent crude oil price has risen by almost 30% to around $94pb, predominantly due to cuts in …
22nd September 2023
With most European G10 central banks now at, or very close to, the ends of their tightening cycles, this note examines where the European G10 currencies stand and how we see the outlook for the main euro cross-rates. In short, we think the Swiss franc …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Composite PMI edges up but still points to recession The small increase in the euro-zone Composite PMI in September left it still in contractionary territory. We think a further …
The SNB’s decision to keep rates unchanged at 1.75% was a surprise. Although the Bank left the door open for further hikes, we think rates are now at their peak. And with inflation set to fall further, we expect the SNB to start cutting rates next year. …
21st September 2023
Following today’s rate hikes, the Riksbank and Norges Bank are now at, or close to, the end of their tightening cycles. Both central banks’ new projections suggest that they are more likely than not to raise rates one more time. But whether or not they …
Norges Bank and Riksbank nearly done with rate hikes Following today’s rate hikes, the Riksbank and Norges Bank are now at, or close to, the end of their tightening cycles. Both central banks’ new projections suggest that they are more likely than not to …
SNB goes for a hawkish pause, but we think rates have peaked. The SNB’s decision to keep rates unchanged at 1.75% was a big surprise, although it left the door open for further hikes. We do not expect any further increases in the policy rate as we expect …
We were not surprised that European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her State of the Union address this week that the EC will launch an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicle (EV) imports from China. Indeed, we had …
15th September 2023
We think the euro-zone economy will go into recession in the second half of 2023, and the subsequent recovery will be weak due to the lagged impact of monetary policy tightening as well as tight fiscal policy. Headline inflation in the euro-zone will …
We think Norges Bank will go through with its plan to raise its policy rate by 25bp next week, to 4.25%, and signal that its tightening cycle is over. It is then likely to will wait until around the middle of next year before cutting interest rates, but …
The Riksbank looks all but certain to follow the ECB’s example and raise its key policy rate by 25bp next week, to 4.0%. However, while that could mark the end of its tightening cycle, on balance we think It is more likely to deliver one last hike, in …
14th September 2023
On balance, we think the SNB will look through the recent low inflation and hike rates by 25bp one last time to 2.00%, given policymakers’ previous hawkish commentary. But with the economy stagnating in Q2 and wage growth suppressed, we would not be …
Today’s 25bp rate hike by the ECB probably brings its tightening cycle to an end. Given our view that underlying inflation will ease only gradually even though the euro-zone is heading for a recession, we think policymakers will leave rates at this record …
End of the tightening cycle The ECB’s decision to raise interest rates by a further 25bp today probably brings the current tightening cycle to an end. But given the strength of underlying inflation, we expect rates to remain at this level for at least a …
Big fall in Swedish inflation won’t stop Riksbank hiking Although the drop in the Riksbank’s target measure of inflation in August was bigger than the consensus had anticipated, it will not prevent policymakers from raising its key policy rate by another …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Sizeable fall in July marks beginning of downward trend Euro-zone industrial production fell in July and we think it will continue to do so over the remainder of the year in the …
13th September 2023
When the ECB Governing Council announces the results of its operational review later this year, it is likely to say it will continue to use the deposit rate as its key policy tool . We also expect the ECB to establish a new framework for lending reserves …
12th September 2023
Core inflation edges down but Norges Bank to raise rates next week Norway’s inflation rate came in broadly in line with the Norges Bank’s expectations in August, suggesting that policymakers will go ahead with their plan to raise rates from 4.0% to 4.25% …
11th September 2023
Christine Lagarde and her colleagues will have some new and gloomy data releases to contemplate when they gather in Frankfurt next week. First, revised data published on Wednesday show that the euro-zone eked out only a 0.1% increase in GDP in Q2 as …
8th September 2023
Note: We’ll be discussing the ECB September rate decision – along with those of the Fed and the Bank of England – in a ‘Drop-In’ on Thursday, 21 st September. Register here to join the online briefing. We think the ECB is slightly more likely to hike than …
7th September 2023
We think that the positive impact of lower inflation on households’ real incomes in the coming quarters will be offset by weaker employment and nominal wage growth. As a result, we don’t think that lower inflation will drive a recovery in real consumer …
Stagnant in Q2, likely to contract in Q3 The downward revision to the euro-zone’s second-quarter GDP data means the economy is now thought to have essentially flat-lined since the fourth quarter of last year. With business surveys having turned down …
Fall in German industrial production even worse than it looks Aggregate German industrial output fell sharply again in July and the fall was even larger if the construction and energy sectors are excluded. We expect production to drop further in the rest …
The higher share of floating rate mortgages in Italy and Spain means that household interest spending in both countries has risen much further than in Germany and France. Interest spending is also set to keep rising much more quickly in Italy and Spain in …
6th September 2023
The German government is unlikely to announce the kind of big stimulus package that some are calling for. However, fiscal policy will remain much more supportive than it was before the pandemic. The German economy has struggled since the pandemic. In Q2, …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Edge down points to period of weakness Euro-zone retail sales fell in July and, in our view, will keep declining over the rest of the year as the effects of tighter monetary …
Final PMIs underline that outlook has deteriorated The final PMIs published today were revised down from the already-low levels reported in the flash measure two weeks ago. The Services Business Activity PMI slumped compared to July, and although the …
5th September 2023
Swiss economy set to continue flatlining Weak manufacturing and investment weighed on the Swiss economy in Q2, leaving GDP unchanged from the previous quarter. We think activity will be sluggish for the rest of the year as the effects of monetary …
4th September 2023
Core inflation heading down August’s inflation data, published this week, increase our confidence that the core rate has passed its peak. Core goods inflation is clearly on a downward trend and has much further to fall as lower energy prices and improved …
1st September 2023
