Global recession seals real estate downturn In line with changes in our global economic view, we have made significant downgrades to our commercial real estate forecasts for the next couple of years. As a result, we now expect a much bigger drop in property values next year that will cause annual returns to be negative in all our key markets. In view of the wider interest, we are also sending this UK Commercial Property Update to clients of our US and Europe Commercial Property Services. 8th November 2022
Fracturing and financial flows The trend towards ever more “financial globalisation” has already decelerated and will probably slow further as the global economy fractures and policymakers favour resilience over efficiency. While a disorderly rupture of financial relations remains unlikely, links between the US and China will weaken. 6th October 2022
The signs of shifting cycles In recent weeks, attention has shifted from the likely size of rates hikes towards the timing of peaks and the prospect of ultimate cuts. History can tell us little about the likely profile since no two cycles have been quite the same. And central bank communications are not a reliable guide either – they have tended to warn of further tightening to come months after the peak has been reached in the past. Instead, we will have to monitor the incoming data very closely. Weakness in the housing market and signs of a let-up in underlying price pressures in Canada and the US, respectively, support our forecast that they will cut sooner and/or more aggressively than is typically assumed. 10th November 2022
Bonds may outperform equities amid a global recession After moving in broadly the same direction for much of 2022, we think that the returns from “safe” assets will generally diverge from those from “risky” assets between now and around the middle of next year. We suspect that long-dated government bond yields have peaked in most places and will fall back further as inflation eases and the global economy enters a recession. Meanwhile, we expect this to mean that most risky assets continue to struggle, despite lower “risk-free” interest rates. That said, we think that risky assets will generally rebound later on in 2023 and in 2024, as the global economy eventually turns a corner and government bond yields continue to edge lower. EM Drop-In (Thursday 3rd Nov): This 20-minute emerging markets briefing will take in our latest views on how the macroeconomic picture will inform EM financial markets, what Brazil’s election result means for the country’s economic outlook and our forecasts for Hungary’s forint and the Colombian peso. Register here. 1st November 2022
Early zero-COVID exit would hurt economy in 2023 A shift away from zero-COVID would be positive for China’s economy over the medium term. But the immediate disruption of reopening would probably exceed the cost of keeping the policy in place, especially if vaccine coverage among the elderly hadn’t risen substantially ahead of any shift. If China were to abandon zero-COVID now, that would warrant a lower not higher GDP forecast for next year. 10th November 2022
Broad-based decline in core inflation coming soon Despite the unanticipated strength in recent months, there are still good reasons to expect core inflation to fall markedly next year. That moderation will not require a deep recession and/or significant rise in the unemployment rate, although we do expect weak demand and easing labour market conditions to play a supporting role. Most of the coming decline in core inflation is already “baked into the cake” – private sector rent measures and other housing indicators point to a significant drop back in shelter cost inflation, while CPI medical care services will fall as the ridiculous spike in health insurance prices is reversed. The stronger dollar, easing supply shortages and collapse in transportation costs all but guarantee a slump in core goods inflation. We expect core CPI inflation to be below 2.5% by end-2023 and core PCE inflation to be around the 2% target. Both measures should fall below 2% in 2024. 2nd November 2022
Don’t miss the bigger picture in natural gas markets While front-month European natural gas prices have fallen sharply as concerns have eased around shortages this winter, longer-dated futures haven’t fallen by as much. That reflects how difficult it will be to fill storage without Russian gas flows next year. With global gas markets becoming increasingly integrated, this is likely to translate into higher US gas and LNG prices too. In view of the wider interest, we are also sending this Energy Update to clients of our Euro-zone service. 4th November 2022
Gold and silver prices to rise next year Gold and silver prices fell following Chair Powell’s hawkish comments yesterday. But if we are right in thinking US rates won’t rise by as much as markets expect, gold and silver prices should increase next year. We forecast prices to rise from $1,630 and $19 per ounce today to $1,700 and $19.5 by end 2023. 3rd November 2022
Recoveries still lagging in the major coastal markets Q2 data showed a mixed picture across the three sectors. For offices, the northern coastal markets continue to lag, with rent growth turning positive but still weaker than most other markets. Houston had an awful quarter for demand, and new supply in Seattle pushed vacancy up quickly there too. In the apartments sector demand slowed across the markets. Southern metros like Miami and Austin continue to see stronger demand, but there were also decent gains elsewhere, including Boston and D.C. And for industrial, there was a rebound in demand after a slow Q1, but it remains below the levels seen in H2 2021. Phoenix was the big winner here, continuing to benefit from extremely low vacancy in LA, Riverside and San Diego. But capital growth slowed notably in Q2 and we expect an even sharper slowdown in Q3 as cap rates face upward pressure. 24th August 2022
Will property be a problem again? The UK property market has a long history of either causing or worsening recessions. But that history has taught both banks and regulators a lesson. So while higher debt payments, falling property prices and a slump in construction will play a major role in dragging the economy into recession, we don’t expect the sector to trigger a banking crisis. Banks have far less exposure to commercial property today compared to the past, while more cautious lending practices have reduced the riskiness of mortgage debt and lenders have plentiful capital buffers to absorb losses. In view of the wider interest, we are also sending this UK Housing Market Update to clients of our UK Commercial Property and UK Economics Services. 19th October 2022
UK Housing Market Update BTL investors face severe financial squeeze The record-low yields on rental properties and fall in house prices we forecast imply poor returns for Buy-to-Let landlords over the next few years. Moreover, the jump in mortgage rates means a... 23rd November 2022 · 4 mins read
UK Housing Market Update Renters living alone explain tight rental market The recent surge in rental growth to a record high has been widely reported, but the usual explanations are unsatisfactory. Population indicators don’t suggest a sudden rise in demand, and there is... 16th November 2022
UK Housing Market Update Will property be a problem again? The UK property market has a long history of either causing or worsening recessions. But that history has taught both banks and regulators a lesson. So while higher debt payments, falling property... 19th October 2022
UK Housing Market Update A full suite of revised UK Housing forecasts Its widely accepted that the jump in mortgage rates from 1.5% last autumn to 6% means that a significant fall in house prices is now inevitable. In this Update we set out how we came to our forecast... 10th October 2022
UK Housing Market Update Arrears to rise, but banks will survive The scale of the increase in mortgage rates means that a large rise in mortgage arrears and repossessions is probably unavoidable. But substantial capital buffers mean lenders will be able to absorb... 4th October 2022
UK Housing Market Update Market moves make house price falls inevitable In view of the wider interest, we are also sending this UK Housing Update to clients of our UK Economics service. The rise in market interest rates that has already happened will push up mortgage... 27th September 2022
UK Economics Update The implications of higher rates for the housing market Investors have revised up how far they expect the Bank of England to raise interest rates as they continue to digest the tax cuts announced on Friday. This Update examines what the impact on the... 27th September 2022
UK Housing Market Update Tax reduction can’t rescue the market from higher rates The Chancellor took a rare, targeted approach to Stamp Duty in today’s vast package of tax cuts. The changes will remove the tax altogether for large numbers of buyers while retaining most of the... 23rd September 2022
UK Housing Market Update Higher rates make price falls even more likely The upward revision to our Bank Rate forecast means that mortgage rates will rise further and faster than we previously envisaged, to a peak of 4.7% in March. The resulting higher cost of mortgage... 21st September 2022
UK Housing Market Update Fiscal package will not prevent house price falls PM Liz Truss’ fiscal package will limit the size of the forthcoming recession, but that may force the Bank of England to raise rates further to get inflation back to target in the medium term. As a... 8th September 2022
UK Housing Market Update Will prime central London outperform? Prime central London (PCL) house prices have underperformed even disappointing wider London trends over recent years. But the latest data have been more encouraging and with prime buyers less exposed... 23rd August 2022
UK Commercial Property Update Build to Rent will continue to thrive The latest figures suggest that Build to Rent (BTR) investment has continued to expand rapidly. Despite this trend, which predates COVID-19, the sector remains under-developed by international... 16th August 2022
UK Housing Market Update Should we be worried about refinancing risk? The impact of rising mortgage rates and the hit to real incomes from high inflation have given rise to fears of mortgage repayment difficulties when existing borrowers come to remortgage. But the... 11th July 2022
UK Housing Market Update Cost inflation to ease alongside new home volumes After reaching a record-high in June, we think that inflation in builders’ costs will soon start to ease. But even as cost pressures subside, construction volumes will slump as the housing market... 28th June 2022
US Housing Market Update The anatomy of a housing market downturn Measures of housing market activity and prices tend to follow a predictable sequence in downturns. In this Update we highlight the key US and UK variables that clients should follow to track the... 24th June 2022
UK Housing Market Update Withdrawal of affordability test is a wise move We suspect that the main reason for the hasty withdrawal of the Financial Policy Committee’s mortgage affordability test is that it was on course to become a severe constraint on many buyers’... 20th June 2022
