This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Inflationary pressures are letting up, but risks linger Headline Inflation in February once again came in below the expectations of both the analyst consensus and the RBA. But …
27th March 2024
Software increasingly driving productivity gains We still believe that the current productivity boom is mainly a cyclical phenomenon, as tight labour market conditions have forced firms to expand output by boosting the efficiency of their existing …
26th March 2024
The drivers of industrial rental growth were turned on their head during the pandemic, but we expect the pre-COVID-19 relationships will soon be reestablished. That points to consumer spending as an important factor, reflecting the growing importance of …
While w e think that equities in the UK will continue to rise over the next couple of years, we suspect they will keep underperforming those in the US, and we see little scope for valuations to help them relative to other developed market equities. UK …
Overview – We expect weak GDP growth of 0.8% this year, and a fall in inflation to less than 2% next year, to persuade the Bank of Canada to cut its policy rate back to 2.5% by mid-2025. A recovery in productivity and looser policy should drive a rebound …
A pause in the fall in mortgage rates and a rise in the number of homes coming onto the market mean house price growth will stall in the near term. But our forecast that Bank Rate will be cut further than expected suggests that further reductions in …
Emerging Asia Chart Pack (March 2024) …
Overview – Economies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) ended last year in stagnation, but headwinds to growth are lifting and we think that 2024 will be a year of modest recovery. Inflation has fallen sharply in recent months but in some parts of the …
The Central Bank of Nigeria continued its hiking cycle today, raising rates by 200bp to 24.75%, providing further evidence that officials are fighting aggressively to tackle the inflation problem and restore its damaged credibility. We think that the CBN …
House price growth reaccelerates in January The fairly large gain in house prices in January points to a rebound in price growth driven by the fall in mortgage rates towards the end of last year. Although its early in the year, today’s data fit with our …
Pace of easing slows, and will slow further before long The decision by the Hungarian central bank (MNB) to slow the pace of its easing cycle today, with a 75bp cut to its base rate (to 8.25%), will probably be followed by a further slowdown in the pace …
Earlier weakness in equipment investment fading The solid rebound in durable goods orders in February suggests that the recent decline in corporate borrowing costs is feeding through to a tentative recovery in business equipment investment. The 1.4% m/m …
Overview – Activity in the region slowed to a crawl at the end of last year and, while a recovery will take hold in the coming quarters, growth will fall short of consensus expectations. The disinflation process has largely run its course and the strength …
One of the key problems for countries with ageing populations is how to tackle the associated fiscal costs. Those countries which have a good record for structural reform and/or scope to raise taxes should be able to mitigate or absorb those costs. But …
This second edition of our annual Climate Economics Outlook updates our long-term emissions forecasting framework to incorporate our latest macroeconomic and energy views. Note: You can create your own emissions scenarios with our interactive Emissions …
India retained its title as the world’s fastest-growing major economy last year and the latest data suggest that the economy continues to perform exceptionally well. Headline inflation has eased in recent months and we think it will reach the 4% midpoint …
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today cut interest rates by a further 50bps and hinted at further rate cuts to come. With inflationary pressures under control and the economic recovery struggling, more policy easing is likely before the end of the year. …
While the Bank of Japan’s JGB holdings have started to shrink and will continue to do so now that Yield Curve Control is over, we think that the normalisation of the Bank’s balance sheet could take up to a decade. While shrinking central bank demand for …
The government’s plan to cut temporary resident numbers over 2025 to 2027 will result in the weakest three years for population growth in Canada’s 157-year history. While it might not be enough to persuade the Bank of Canada to start its loosening cycle …
25th March 2024
Push-back from the authorities in China and Japan has stabilised their currencies against the US dollar today, and our base case remains that policymakers will prevent destabilising depreciations in the renminbi and yen. Nonetheless, it is worth thinking …
Note: We’ll be covering our views on residential market winners and losers in both the for-sale and rental markets in a Drop-In Tuesday 16th April 1100 EST/1600 BST . Register here for the 20-minute session. As mortgage rates fall, we think the …
Overview – Low oil output in the Gulf will constrain GDP growth over the first half of this year. But as this reverses, growth will pick up and by more than most expect. Elsewhere in Middle East and North Africa, external financial support has mostly …
Faltering consumer spending reinforces our view that GDP growth will slow this year, although that slowdown is likely to be modest. After a disappointing couple of months for inflation, easing demand growth should help to drive a more marked decline later …
New home sales disappoint in February February’s tiny drop in new home sales cut short what appeared to be the beginning of a recovery in recent months. Even though the drop was extremely small, it still potentially casts some doubt over our upbeat new …
We held an online Drop-In session last week to discuss the outlook for monetary policy following the US Fed and Bank of England policy meetings and comments by the ECB’s Christine Lagarde. (See a recording here .) This Update answers several of the …
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 …
The US dollar has bounced back from its brief drop after the FOMC’s policy announcement and Chair Powell’s press conference, and is ending the week stronger across the board. To some extent that is surprising: the FOMC’s overall message arguably had a …
22nd March 2024
While the current backdrop may keep the renminbi on the back foot against the dollar in the short term, we doubt that these headwinds will push the currency meaningfully lower this year. The renminbi has finally weakened against the dollar after more than …
Has Tusk changed the tide in Poland? The 100 day milestone for Poland’s new government is marked today. From an economic perspective, we think there are three key points worth highlighting about how the outlook has and hasn’t changed. First, the release …
Further attacks by Ukraine on Russia’s oil refining sector were the major driver of crude prices this week with the price of Brent remaining firmly above $85 per barrel. Reports that the US had urged Ukraine to halt the strikes may have tempered the price …
Production records a bright start to 2024 The robust increase in global steel production since the beginning of the year probably has a bit further to run since there are few signs that the two largest producers – China and India – will slow their supply …
Argentina: another strong budget outturn Coming hot off the heels of last week’s successful debt swap, there was further good fiscal news in Argentina this week. Budget data showed another large primary surplus in February (albeit smaller than January’s …
LGFVs stepping up land purchases Despite the collapse in home sales, construction activity has retreated only modestly in recent years. We think the bulk of the correction has yet to come , with construction activity likely to halve by the end of this …
SARB: will rate cuts ever come? The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) looks set to leave interest rates on hold at 8.25% next week and it now seems an easing cycle won’t begin until after May’s election, the outcome of which could even persuade the SARB …
The Fed wasn’t as hawkish as we had expected this week and, assuming the recent upturn in core inflation proves temporary, there is still a good chance that interest rate cuts will begin in June. Fed content with more gradual inflation fall Despite recent …
The surprise fall in February leaves CPI inflation on track to average 2.8% this quarter, well below the Bank of Canada’s forecast of 3.2%. As the decline in inflation pressures was broad-based, there is a growing likelihood that the Bank of Canada will …
Heading for another decent quarter Despite only modest rises in retail sales volumes in January and February, the earlier strength in December means that growth should remain strong this quarter. The 0.3% m/m fall in retail sales was a little smaller than …
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, …
Data released this week broadly support our view that the euro-zone economy will have stagnated in Q1. The Composite PMI rose a touch in March but remained consistent with GDP flatlining. And the ZEW painted a similar picture. Admittedly, we also learned …
GDP growth will come in below consensus in most EMs this year, with the notable exceptions of India and Taiwan. Although stubborn wage growth means the pace of disinflation is likely to slow from here, we think the EM monetary easing cycle will broaden …
Political uncertainty in Vietnam on the rise One of Vietnam’s key appeals to foreign investors is its political stability relative to other low-income countries in the region. (See Chart 1.) Along with low labour costs and an improving business …
Little change in language, possible easing from mid-2024 Russia’s central bank (CBR) left its key policy rate on hold, at 16.00%, for a second consecutive meeting as expected today and there were few notable changes in its press statement. The central …
Note: We will be discussing the outlook for residential markets across the US in a 20-minute online briefing on Tuesday April 16th. Find out more here . Overview – This year is being flagged by many as the year the recovery starts, but there is still a …
Germany Ifo Survey (March 2024) Although the Ifo Business Climate Index rose quite sharply in March, much of the improvement was in the volatile expectations component and it remained at an exceptionally low level. We still think the economy is likely to …
Election season is here After a seemingly interminable wait, the Election Commission this week finally confirmed the dates for the general election. Almost a billion people are eligible to vote, making it the largest expression of democratic principles …
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 …
Rate cut in August remains plausible At its meeting earlier this week, the RBA dialled down its hawkish bias, with Governor Bullock noting that “the risks to the outlook are finely balanced”. However, her statement may well have been a little premature. …
