US Economics Update Debt ceiling deal may only delay the inevitable The entrenched positions of both sides suggest the deal to suspend the debt ceiling until December may only delay rather than avert a crisis. And in that scenario, we doubt that the Treasury minting a... 7th October 2021 · 4 mins read
US Housing Market Update Will sales of condos continue to outperform? Sales of condos have been on tear in recent months, with their share in total existing home sales reaching a 14-year high in June. The reopening of cities helps explain that development, and condo... 7th October 2021 · 3 mins read
Precious Metals Update Dim outlook for the silver price We think that weaker physical demand, higher real US Treasury yields and a stronger dollar will mean that the recent poor performance of the silver price is set to continue over the next couple of... 7th October 2021 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Applications (Sep.) Home purchase applications rose for the first time in six months in September, even as mortgage rates increased to a 14-week high by the end of the month. But we expect a further rise in mortgage... 6th October 2021 · 2 mins read
Canada Economics Update What might prompt the Bank to take a hawkish turn? The sharp slowdown in economic growth in the past couple of quarters suggests that the probability of the Bank of Canada following other central banks in becoming more hawkish is low. The risk will... 6th October 2021 · 5 mins read
Asset Allocation Update Infrastructure & reconciliation unlikely to mean Q1 rerun While the large fiscal stimulus passed in the US in the first quarter of this year appears to have been a key reason why equities there outperformed Treasuries at the time, we think that the... 6th October 2021 · 5 mins read
Commodities Chart Pack Gas & coal surge to support other commodity prices Natural gas and coal prices soared in September. In turn, this has raised the output costs of industrial metals, most notably those which are especially energy intensive such as aluminium and steel... 5th October 2021 · 12 mins read
US Data Response US International Trade (Aug.) We expect that the widening in the trade deficit to $73.3bn in August, from $70.3bn, will soon start to reverse, as exports catch up with imports. But there is a risk over the coming months that... 5th October 2021 · 2 mins read
Canada Data Response International Trade (Aug.) The large improvement in the trade surplus in August was much better than the consensus estimate of a small deterioration, but we are wary about suggesting that there are upside risks to our third... 5th October 2021 · 2 mins read
Energy Update Oil prices to fall as market returns to surplus in 2022 We expect a gradual normalisation in demand growth and a rebound in supply will start to weigh on oil prices from the fourth quarter. So far this year, growth in demand has outpaced supply, helping... 4th October 2021 · 4 mins read
US Commercial Property Update Will remote working migrants drive office demand? In-migration to southern metros with relatively low living costs and high desirability will be positive for office demand in those same metros. We think firms will be encouraged to set up offices in... 4th October 2021 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Outlook Major Apartment Markets Outlook (Q3 2021) The apartment market is set for a stellar year. The reopening of cities is bringing vacancy rates down and pushing rents up, and strong investor demand has led to a sharp fall in yields. We expect... 1st October 2021 · 8 mins read
FX Markets Weekly Wrap Dollar continues to march higher ahead of October payrolls In another volatile week, the US dollar continued to appreciate against most other currencies, reaching its strongest level, in aggregate, since last November. In part, the greenback’s rally may have... 1st October 2021 · 9 mins read
Asset Allocation Update Revisiting the relative valuations of US equities and bonds Although the pull-back in the S&P 500 last month was probably influenced by a sell-off in Treasuries (see here), we don’t subscribe to the view that stocks are in a big bubble that bonds are bound to... 1st October 2021 · 3 mins read
Canada Economics Weekly CMHC sounds the alarm (again) It’s hard to argue against the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) latest warning that house prices look vulnerable to a correction. Indeed, we expect prices to fall in several cities by... 1st October 2021 · 6 mins read
US Economics Weekly A week is a long time in politics Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s quip that “a week is a long time in politics”, which he made during one of the UK’s seemingly never-ending crises in the 1960s, aptly describes the Democratic Party’s... 1st October 2021 · 7 mins read
