Nordic & Swiss Economics Update SNB unlikely to let franc’s rise be sustained The franc’s downward trend went into reverse last month and turbulence in global financial markets has since threatened to push it up further. In the event of a sustained rout in equity markets, the... 7th February 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Global forces push exchange rates and bond yields up Following developments in other developed economies this year, Nordic and Swiss currencies have appreciated while equity prices and bond yields have risen. Norway’s currency has outperformed, largely... 1st February 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jan.) January’s Swiss, Swedish and Norwegian manufacturing PMIs generally point to strong growth. But only in Sweden do we expect this to feed through to significant and sustained inflation pressure. 1st February 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Swiss KOF (Jan.) Despite January’s sharp fall in the Swiss KOF Economic Barometer, the indicator is still broadly consistent with annual GDP growth picking up to around 2%. With exporters benefiting from a weaker... 30th January 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economic Outlook Exchange rates to diverge as Swedish krona rises Prospects for the Nordic economies and Switzerland are strong, but there are divergent outlooks for monetary policy. In Sweden, inflation is already close to the Riksbank’s target and, with capacity... 22nd January 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack A busy month for central banks The three major Nordic and Swiss central banks met in December and provided very different messages about the outlook for monetary policy in their respective countries. First, the Swiss National Bank... 15th January 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Swiss Consumer Prices (Dec.) While Swiss headline inflation was unchanged in December, there was a welcome rise in the core rate. But the big picture is that inflationary pressures remain subdued, so the Swiss National Bank will... 8th January 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Twenty-fourth time lucky for the Riksbank? After bringing its net asset purchases to a close last month, the Riksbank reiterated that it expects to raise interest rates in September this year. The Bank’s track record suggests that this... 4th January 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Dec.) December’s Swedish and Norwegian manufacturing PMIs suggest that industry in both countries ended 2017 on a strong note. But only in Sweden do we expect healthy economic growth to put sustained upward... 2nd January 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Currencies weaken despite hawkish central banks The Swedish and Norwegian central banks delivered fairly hawkish assessments of the outlook for monetary policy this month, but that did not stop their currencies from depreciating. Meanwhile, the... 21st December 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update SNB sits tight as franc still seen as “highly valued” The Swiss National Bank today reiterated that the Swiss franc remained “highly valued” and that it still needed to keep interest rates at rock-bottom levels and intervene in the currency markets as... 14th December 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Denmark weak in Q3, Sweden powered ahead The Nordic and Swiss Q3 GDP data revealed large differences between the best and worst performing economies. A quarterly contraction of 0.6% meant that Denmark underperformed the rest of the pack by a... 12th December 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Will housing bubbles prompt early rate hikes? Macro-prudential policies to cool the housing markets in Switzerland and Norway will allow their central banks to keep monetary policy loose, boosting inflation from its current low rates. By contrast... 12th December 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Central Bank Watch SNB to sit tight as ECB taper eases pressure on franc Although the Swiss franc has weakened further over the past three months, we doubt that the Swiss National Bank (SNB) will sound any more relaxed about the exchange rate in its policy statement next... 7th December 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Swiss Consumer Prices (Nov.) November’s rise in Swiss inflation reflected both higher energy prices and a weaker franc. But with inflation still very weak, we doubt that the Swiss National Bank will decide to alter its ultra... 6th December 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Reviewing 2017 and looking ahead to 2018 In this Watch, we evaluate the performance of Nordic and Swiss economies in 2017 and set out our key calls for next year. 5th December 2017 · 1 min read