UK Data Response Consumer Prices & Producer Prices (Jan.) The fall in CPI inflation in January to below the Bank of England’s 2% target for the first time in two years provided a further boost to households’ real spending power, but we doubt inflation will... 13th February 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update New Zealand - RBNZ gets more realistic by taking a neutral stance We think the explicit neutral stance adopted by the RBNZ in today’s policy meeting is appropriate as we suspect that the economy will not gain enough momentum to support interest rate hikes until 2021... 13th February 2019 · 1 min read
India Data Response Consumer Prices (Jan.) & Industrial Production (Dec.) Headline consumer price inflation was low and virtually unchanged in January but, more importantly, core inflation remained elevated. The RBI suggested last week that the core rate has been boosted by... 12th February 2019 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Switzerland & Norway Consumer Prices (Jan.) We think that inflation in Switzerland will fall below zero by the middle of the year, so the SNB is likely to stick to its very dovish policy stance. By contrast, we think that inflation in Norway... 11th February 2019 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil & Chile Consumer Prices (Jan.) The continued softness of Brazilian inflation last month reinforces Copom’s dovish message delivered in this week’s policy communiqué, and keeps rate hikes off the table for now. Elsewhere, the larger... 8th February 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly RBA puts rate cuts back on the table The RBA changed tact this week and shifted away from its long-held tightening bias to a neutral stance on interest rates. This move was accompanied by a new set of downgraded economic forecasts, which... 8th February 2019 · 1 min read
India Economics Weekly RBI changes tack The RBI was able to point to a fall in inflation to justify its rate cut this week. But it also took a more sanguine line on the risks posed by still-high core inflation. We believe this will prove to... 8th February 2019 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Mexico Consumer Prices (Jan.) The larger-than-expected fall in Mexican inflation last month, to 4.4% y/y, adds to the reasons to think that Banxico will row back on previous hawkish rhetoric when it meets this evening. We expect... 7th February 2019 · 1 min read
RBNZ Watch New Zealand - Slowdown will keep rates on hold until 2021 The Bank will be weighing up the impact of a tighter labour market but weaker GDP growth when it leaves interest rates at 1.75% on Wednesday. It’s unlikely that any of the recent data will cause the... 7th February 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Recession risks rising Economic activity finished last year on a weak note and most business surveys suggest that things did not improve in January. Italy went back into recession in the second half of 2018 and the evidence... 6th February 2019 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Russia CPI (Jan.) The softer-than-expected Russian inflation figure for January, of 5.0% y/y, is likely to temper some of the central bank’s hawkish rhetoric when the Board meets on Friday. Given the central bank’s... 6th February 2019 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Interest rates hikes in Iceland looking less likely The Central Bank of Iceland had hinted only a few weeks ago that interest rate hikes were likely at the start of this year, but the recent economic data have been weak enough for it to hold fire today... 6th February 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Waiting for the handbrake to be released Brexit is a political crisis, not an economic one. While the extra uncertainty caused by Brexit has clearly hampered investment and consumption, the economy is fundamentally sound. There are still... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Update RBA will cut rates in 2019 as reality bites Although the RBA took a more dovish tone when it left rates on hold today we think it will need to consider cutting rates before long as the economic outlook deteriorates. While the RBA still sees... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Italy and Spain diverge, Brexit risks and Ireland At the end of last year, Italy fell back into recession but Spain’s economic growth rate accelerated. We think that this divergence will continue. Next week is a quieter one for data releases; we... 1st February 2019 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Weekly Russia’s budget surplus, CBRT more hawkish The budget surplus recorded in Russia in 2018 has put the spotlight on austerity measures, but it actually looks like fiscal policy will provide more support to the economy this year than it did in... 1st February 2019 · 1 min read