Africa Economics Weekly South Africa rebound, rate cuts, Zambia bond rally Policymakers in South Africa reduced their key rate by 25bp this week, and we think that they will cut again later this year. Central banks in Nigeria, Angola, and Ghana will probably join in on the... 19th July 2019 · 6 mins read
US Economics Update Does the Fed actually need to cut rates? Despite the run of stronger activity data in recent weeks, the deterioration in the survey evidence, lingering uncertainty over trade policy and the prospect of a prolonged period of below-target... 18th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Bank’s own forecasts point to looser policy The Bank of Canada’s economic forecasts suggest it is closer to making a dovish tilt than is widely thought. 18th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Another cut likely in September Policymakers in South Africa will probably follow today’s 25bp cut with another 25bp of loosening at their next meeting in September. We expect that South African inflation will ease in Q3, while cuts... 18th July 2019 · 3 mins read
ECB Watch ECB to take the first step towards renewed stimulus Policymakers have been dropping hints for weeks that they plan to loosen monetary policy soon, and at July’s meeting they are likely to take a step in that direction by formally changing their forward... 18th July 2019 · 8 mins read
Asia Economics Update BI cuts rates, but easing cycle likely to be short Bank Indonesia (BI) today cut its benchmark interest rate from 6.0% to 5.75% and hinted that further easing is on the horizon. But the uncertain outlook for the currency means that this is unlikely to... 18th July 2019 · 2 mins read
Asia Economics Update Bank of Korea signals further rate cuts ahead The Bank of Korea (BoK) today cut interest rates by 25bp to 1.50% and signalled that further easing is on the way. Given the poor outlook for growth and the change in sentiment by the central bank, we... 18th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Labour Market (Jun.) We think the slowdown in employment growth has further to run and suspect that the deterioration in the labour market will cause the unemployment rate to rise before the year is out. 18th July 2019 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Focus Will the RBA use unconventional tools? Our central scenario is that cutting interest rates to 0.5% will be sufficient to restore growth and eventually return underlying inflation to the RBA’s target. If more stimulus were required, the... 17th July 2019 · 18 mins read
Asia Economics Update What will the second quarter growth figures show? Early indicators suggest that GDP growth slowed sharply across Emerging Asia in the second quarter. Although most countries should stage a gradual recovery over the coming year, growth is likely to... 17th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Asia Economics Update Pakistan: further rate hikes needed to combat inflation Pakistan’s central bank (SBP) today raised its benchmark interest rates by a further 100bp amid continued concerns about high inflation and the country’s current account deficit. With inflation set to... 16th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: CBN rules unlikely to boost lending New regulations from the central bank will probably do little to encourage lending to the private sector. So long as government bond yields remain elevated, banks will prefer to park their money in... 16th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response New Zealand - Consumer Prices (Q2) We doubt the strength in inflation in Q2 will be maintained for long and we expect underlying inflation to remain below the mid-point of the RBNZ’s 1-3% target band for the foreseeable future. That’s... 16th July 2019 · 2 mins read
India Data Response Wholesale Prices (Jun.) The wholesale price index is not the preferred measure of inflation for India’s policymakers, but the continued decline in the headline rate in June will help the MPC to justify another rate cut at... 15th July 2019 · 2 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Banxico moving towards rate cuts, Brazil’s pension bill The minutes to the last Mexican central bank meeting, published yesterday, revealed a more dovish shift on the Bank’s Board than we had expected. We now think that an interest rate cut at the next... 12th July 2019 · 5 mins read
Bank of Canada at a crossroads Given the recent run of stronger economic data, we thought the Bank of Canada might sound a cautiously optimistic note following its policy meeting this week, but the statement remained relatively... 12th July 2019 · 7 mins read
