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This week the FTSE 100 broke through the 8,000 mark for the first time since its brief three-day flutter in February last year and reached a record high of 8,100. This appears to be justified based on the recent improvement in economic activity. Indeed, …
26th April 2024
Foreign-born workers have been entirely responsible for the post-pandemic recovery in employment. But a gradual rise in labour market participation and a moderation in net migration may mean the share of UK-born employment starts to rise again. The risk …
25th April 2024
If sustained, the recent rises in market interest rate expectations and gilt yields may mean that the Chancellor has only around £5bn of fiscal headroom, down from £8.9bn in the March Budget, with which to fund further tax cuts before the next election. …
23rd April 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Easing services prices may encourage BoE to cut rates in the coming months Although the unexpected rise in the composite activity PMI in April suggests the economy grew faster at …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Limited scope for tax cuts March’s public finances figures show that public borrowing in 2023/24 came in £6.6bn higher than the OBR predicted only a month ago, casting further …
In the previous Weekly we said “the risks are tilted towards inflation proving sticker and rate cuts happening a bit later”. This week’s global and domestic events have left our forecast that interest rates will first be cut from 5.25% in June and will …
19th April 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Retail outlook still bright despite sales stalling in March Although retail sales volumes remaining unchanged in March was worse than expected (consensus forecast +0.3% m/m, CE …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Upside surprise, but big drop to below 2% still coming in April The smaller-than-expected fall in CPI inflation from 3.4% in February to 3.2% in March (BoE and consensus 3.1%, CE …
17th April 2024
As the plunge in employment in Q1 is probably a response to the recession last year, employment will probably soon rebound now that the economy is growing again. The real risk is a rebound in job vacancies prevents wage growth from falling as fast and as …
16th April 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Weaker labour market points to weaker wage growth The sharp fall in employment and the jump in the unemployment rate in February suggest that wage growth will continue to slow …
Our analysis shows that for CPI inflation to get stuck above 2.0% it would require oil prices and UK wholesale gas prices to rise to $110 per barrel and 150 pence per therm respectively. And for CPI inflation to return to 5.0%, it would require increases …
15th April 2024
Ben Bernanke didn’t pull any punches in his review of the Bank of England’s forecasting/communications and recommended a full revamp of the Bank’s main forecasting model, using alternative scenarios to express uncertainties rather than fan charts and …
12th April 2024
Where the US leads, the UK often follows. So the rebound in the US CPI inflation rate from 3.2% in February to 3.5% in March and the unchanged core CPI inflation rate of 3.8% has spurred fears that the downward trend in UK inflation will soon stall. In …
Bernanke puts the boot in, but doesn’t recommend the BoE projects interest rates Our initial impression (our full analysis is here ) of the changes to the Bank of England’s forecasting and communications recommended by Ben Bernanke is that they would go a …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Recovery well underway, but inflation will continue to fall The 0.1% m/m rise in GDP in February (consensus and CE +0.1%) and the upward revision to the gain in January from 0.2% …
The Bank of England’s Q1 Credit Conditions Survey provides further evidence that the drag on activity from high interest rates is starting to fade. Looser credit conditions will soon aid the economic recovery. The fall in mortgage rates at the start of …
11th April 2024
Even if the US Federal Reserve leaves its policy rate unchanged for longer than we expect, our forecast that inflation in the UK will be lower than in the US suggests this won’t prevent the Bank of England from cutting rates from 5.25% to 5.00% in June …
The bigger-than-expected fall in CPI inflation in February was the second in as many months, and together with the Bank of England’s clearer hints that it is getting close to cutting interest rates, it gives us a bit more confidence in our forecast that …
9th April 2024
The Bernanke review of the Bank of England’s forecasting and communications will probably recommend the Bank illustrates the risks around its forecasts using alternative scenarios rather than fan charts and places greater emphasis on supply and monetary …
8th April 2024
Whether you’re a monetarist or not, it’s hard to ignore the big rise in the annual growth rate of M4 money coming out of the pandemic being a harbinger of the surge in CPI inflation. Shortly before CPI inflation surged from 0.3% in November 2020 to a …
5th April 2024
While the number of “green” jobs in the UK rose strongly in 2022, it’s worth noting that green workers were still outnumbered by estate agents! Market forces are facilitating the transition to a greener workforce, but policies to make the labour market …
2nd April 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Drag on activity from high interest rates continues to fade February’s money and credit figures show the dip in mortgage rates at the start of the year boosted mortgage approvals …
Everyone knows that one reason why the recession was so small and short is because higher interest rates had a smaller drag on the economy than in the past. But it’s less appreciated that future interest rate cuts may not boost the economy as much either. …
28th March 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Mild recession confirmed, but recovery probably already underway The final Q4 2023 GDP release confirmed that the UK economy was in the mildest of mild technical recessions at …
Overview – After having been too high for the past three years, inflation in the UK will be too low for the next three years, and much lower than in the US and the euro-zone. Not only do we think that CPI inflation will fall from 3.4% in February to below …
25th March 2024
The Bank of England was never going to do anything except keep interest rates at 5.25% this week, but we and the financial markets were surprised that it took further steps in preparing the ground for the first interest rate cut. (See here .) As a result, …
22nd March 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Shoppers largely shrug off wet weather as retail rebound only paused Unchanged retail sales volumes in February (CE forecast 0.0% m/m, consensus -0.4% m/m), as shoppers largely …
With the Bank of England striking a slightly more dovish tone whilst keeping interest rates at 5.25% and inflation likely to fall further and faster than the Bank expects, we still think a rate cut in June is possible and that rates will fall to 3.00% in …
21st March 2024
Slight dovish tilt, and fast fall in inflation will make BoE more dovish before too long The Bank of England sprung no surprises, leaving interest rates at 5.25% for the fifth time in a row and, despite no MPC members no longer voting to raise interest …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Further signs of the UK economy having moved out of recession We’ll be discussing the outlook for Fed, ECB and Bank of England policy in a 20-minute online briefing at 3pm GMT …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Disappointing borrowing figures won’t stop the Chancellor unveiling more tax cuts Note: We’ll be discussing the outlook for Fed, ECB and Bank of England policy in a 20-minute …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. UK inflation to fall below 2% in April and the rates in the US and euro-zone We’ll be discussing the outlook for Fed, ECB and Bank of England policy in a 20-minute online …
20th March 2024
January’s GDP figures received the most attention this week, mainly as they suggested the economy may have exited recession. (See here .) But while there was better news on demand, the same cannot be said for the supply-side of the economy. The rise in …
15th March 2024
Interest rates unchanged at 5.25% and BoE to keep hawkish guidance But data not the guidance counts We think rates will fall to 3.00% in 2025 rather than to 4.00% as investors expect At the policy meeting on Thursday 21 st March, the Bank of England will …
14th March 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. UK economy has probably already exited recession Note: We will be discussing whether the next government will move the dial on the economy in a 20-minute online briefing at 3pm …
13th March 2024
More marked easing in wage growth is just around the corner We will be discussing whether the next government will move the dial on the economy in a 20-minute online briefing at 3pm GMT on Wednesday 13th March. (Register here .) The easing in wage growth …
12th March 2024
We will be discussing whether the next government will move the dial on the economy in a 20-minute online briefing at 3pm GMT on Wednesday 13th March. (Register here .) We doubt the big rise in the minimum wage in April will prevent wage growth from …
11th March 2024
Much ink has been spilled on the Spring Budget this week. For our part, we discussed the macroeconomic and financial market implications in our UK Drop-In and in our UK Economics Focus . The main takeaway is that while the Chancellor was desperate to use …
8th March 2024
The net giveaway of £13.9bn (0.5% of GDP) in 2024/25 in the Budget may help end the recession before an election later this year. But fiscal policy is still being tightened in 2024/25 and that tightening will continue after the election and will probably …
6th March 2024
Boost to the economy now comes ahead of a bigger drag after the election The net fiscal giveaway of £13.9bn (0.5% of GDP) in 2024/25 in the Budget may at the margin help lift the economy out of its mild recession before an election later this year. But a …
Our view that the Bank of England will become less concerned by the most persistent part of services CPI inflation suggests that it will cut interest rates in the summer, perhaps in June. But the risk is that non-energy intensive services inflation stays …
4th March 2024
Could there be a tax-cutting Budget bombshell? The rumours this week suggest that the Chancellor may have a bit less to play with in the Budget on Wednesday 6 th March than the £15bn we estimated. As a result, he seems to be considering more revenue …
1st March 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Drag on consumption from higher interest rates fading January’s money and credit figures suggest the drag on consumer spending and the housing market from higher interest rates …
29th February 2024
A version of this report was originally published as an opinion piece in The Times on 28th February 2024. The government will reportedly unveil an initiative to encourage lenders to offer 99 per cent mortgages in the spring budget. If implemented, it …
28th February 2024
This is an updated checklist which takes into account our latest expectations for the Spring Budget. The checklist helps clients keep track of the key policies and forecasts announced during the Chancellor’s Spring Budget at 12:30pm (GMT) on Wednesday 6 …
The outlook for the UK economy is unlikely to be very different depending on which of the possible combinations of UK Prime Ministers and US Presidents this year’s elections deliver. Even so, there may be some nuances. This Update establishes a framework …
26th February 2024
Disappointing economic and fiscal forecasts from the OBR haven’t prevented the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, from unveiling a splash at previous fiscal events. This time last year, he was handed £14.5bn of headroom against his fiscal mandate to ensure the …
23rd February 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Lingering price pressures may continue to concern the BoE The small rise in the composite activity PMI, from 52.9 in January to 53.3 in February (CE forecast 53.0, consensus …
22nd February 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Chancellor won’t have huge amounts of cash to splash We will be discussing what the policies announced in the Budget mean for the economy and the financial markets in a 20-minute …
21st February 2024
We will be discussing what the policies announced in the Budget mean for the economy and the financial markets in a 20-minute online briefing shortly after the Budget at 3pm GMT on Wednesday 6 th March. (Register here .) Using most of the fiscal headroom …
20th February 2024
