Capital Daily Taking stock of diverging euro-zone spreads Yields in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain have diverged in unusual directions this year, and we doubt that these trends will revert any time soon. 26th October 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Norges Bank’s tightening cycle likely to be over Norges Bank is almost certain to leave its policy rate unchanged at 4.25% next week. And we suspect that, given September’s weak inflation data, it will also soften its language about implementing one... 26th October 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB policy rates at a plateau Following today’s decision to leave interest rates on hold, the ECB’s tightening cycle appears to be over. We think that rates will stay at their current levels well into next year. The Governing... 26th October 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Rapid Response ECB Policy Announcement (October 2023) Today’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged, and the tone of the press release, were as expected. There is no mention of ending PEPP reinvestments early or raising banks’ reserve requirements... 26th October 2023 · 2 mins read
Emerging Europe Rapid Response Turkey Interest Rate Announcement (Oct.) Turkey’s central bank stuck to the course today as it delivered another 500bp interest rate hike, to 35%. A few more large hikes are likely to be delivered in the coming months too, which should help... 26th October 2023 · 2 mins read
BoE Watch A long time on the top of the mountain We think the Bank of England will leave interest rates unchanged at 5.25% for the second policy meeting in a row on Thursday 2nd November, that rates will stay at their peak for a bit longer than most... 26th October 2023 · 6 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Effectiveness of Mortgage Guarantee varies by region The proposed extension to the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme could prove a good counter-cyclical policy in areas where house prices are relatively low. But the scheme has far less impact in London and the... 25th October 2023 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Update Weak housing market to squeeze spending and investment We suspect that more weakness in the housing market will weigh on real GDP by further reducing residential investment and consumer spending. This is one reason why we think the economy is close to a... 25th October 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Lending data remain consistent with recession The euro-zone money and credit data have been very weak all year and September’s data, released this morning, were more of the same. The activity surveys are now turning downwards too, supporting our... 25th October 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Rapid Response German Ifo Business Climate Indicator (Oct.) The small rise in the Ifo Business Climate Index (BCI) in October still left the index in contractionary territory, echoing the downbeat message from the Composite PMI released yesterday. This chimes... 25th October 2023 · 2 mins read
Global Inflation Watch Inflation back to target by end-2024 Global headline inflation has fallen sharply from its peak a year ago and, despite a temporary setback due to higher fuel inflation, we expect it to fall a lot further over the coming year. The huge... 24th October 2023 · 16 mins read
Emerging Europe Rapid Response Hungary Interest Rate Announcement (Oct.) The Hungarian central bank’s (MNB’s) larger-than-expected 75bp cut to its base rate, from 13.00% to 12.25%, today suggests that policymakers are sticking to aggressive monetary easing. Our working... 24th October 2023 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Weak external sector adds to euro-zone’s woes We expect euro-zone export growth to remain weak in the coming months against a backdrop of slow economic growth in key export markets and a stronger euro. 24th October 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK Flash PMIs (Oct. 2023) The composite activity PMI inched up from 48.5 in September to 48.6 in October after five months of declines. But that still leaves the PMI at a level that, historically, has been consistent with a... 24th October 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (October 2023) The further decline in the euro-zone Composite PMI in October left it well into contractionary territory and the breakdown provides further evidence that price pressures are easing. The survey will... 24th October 2023 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK Labour Market (Aug. 2023) The labour market appeared not to loosen as much as we thought in August based on the Office for National Statistics’ new experimental data. But this is unlikely to sway the Bank of England ahead of... 24th October 2023 · 3 mins read