Canada Economics Update Growing labour market slack to restrain core inflation Recent headline employment gains mask a deterioration in underlying labour market conditions. If, as we fear, the economy continues to struggle in response to the worsening oil price slump, then... 10th November 2015 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Markets look set to take first Fed rate hike in their stride The relatively calm reactions to Friday’s strong US employment report support our view that the gradual return of US interest rates towards more normal levels is unlikely to be the seismic shock that... 9th November 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will Italy’s labour market recovery continue? Italy’s labour market has shown some strong signs of improvement since the summer, but we suspect that this is unlikely to last. Reduced tax incentives for hiring, as well as sluggish economic growth... 9th November 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Labour Cash Earnings (Sep.) Wage growth edged up in September but still falls short of trend productivity growth. The upshot is that the tight labour market has yet to create noticeable cost pressures. 9th November 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Even the bulls are nervous about housing now Investors who have paid attention to indicators of growing imbalances in Canada’s hot housing market over the years won’t be surprised by recent warnings of potential housing corrections from certain... 6th November 2015 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Business investment not unusually low The current level of business investment is not unusually low, with firms opting to use funds to pay dividends or buy back equity instead. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean the outlook for business... 6th November 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Labour Force Survey (Oct.) The 44,400 gain in employment in October was stronger than anyone expected and an indication the economy is withstanding the oil shock better than previously thought. While the details weren’t quite... 6th November 2015 · 1 min read
US Data Response Employment Report (Oct.) The much bigger than expected 271,000 surge in non-farm payrolls in October confirms that the weakness in August and September was just a temporary blip and, given the circumstances, a December... 6th November 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Chart Pack Growth picking up again at the start of Q4 Concerns that a hard landing in China may tip the world into a fresh recession look increasingly wide of the mark. The latest business surveys and credit data suggest that China itself may be... 5th November 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Economic Outlook Economy will struggle to cope with oil shock Although the mild recession in the first half of this year has ended, the drag from falling business investment triggered by the slump in oil prices is far from over and growing imbalances in the... 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Economic recovery picks up pace at the start of Q4 The latest business surveys support our view that the slowdown in the economy in Q3 was just temporary. Gains in both the Markit/CIPS manufacturing and service sector PMIs in October left the economy... 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update What are the prospects for labour markets and wages? Unemployment rates in the US, euro-zone, Japan, and UK are likely to continue falling gradually over the coming years. However, the prospects for wage growth in these four economies vary considerably. 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi consumer spending to weaken further as fiscal squeeze bites Despite recent media reports espousing the resilience of Saudi consumers in the face of lower oil prices, a number of indicators suggest that household spending in the Kingdom has softened in recent... 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response Consumer Confidence (Oct.) While the rebound in consumer confidence in October suggests that consumer spending will continue to recover, the renewed fall in household inflation expectations should ring alarm bells at the Bank... 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response New Zealand Labour Market (Q3) The stark deterioration in labour market conditions in New Zealand in the third quarter pretty much guarantees that the RBNZ will cut rates to 2.5% at the meeting in December, from 2.75% now. What's... 4th November 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Growth steady but slow Early indications from business surveys suggest that the euro-zone economy has continued to grow at a steady but slow pace at the beginning of the fourth quarter. For example, the composite PMI... 3rd November 2015 · 1 min read