US Rapid Response US Consumer Sentiment (Feb 2026) The robust pick-up in the current conditions index hints that the labour market, while still weak is improving, while inflation expectations seem to be heading in the right direction. Admittedly the... 6th February 2026 · 2 mins read
China Economics Weekly Local governments plan to keep tightening their belts China’s provincial governments have now concluded the annual meetings at which they set economic targets and lay out fiscal plans. They anticipate slower GDP growth this year and plan to continue with... 6th February 2026 · 6 mins read
China Economics Update China’s labour market is on the mend Our China Labour Market Indicator has climbed back above its long-run average recently, signalling an improving employment backdrop. A key driver has been stronger labour demand among exporters, who... 4th February 2026 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB Bank Lending Survey (Q4 2025) The ECB’s Q4 Bank Lending Survey, published this morning, suggests that banks have become more cautious about lending to companies while consumers remain reluctant to spend. It also showed that the... 3rd February 2026 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Chart Pack UK Economics Chart Pack (Feb. 2026) The data published since the start of the year suggest economic activity and price pressures have strengthened. But we still expect annual GDP growth to slow and the weak labour market to weigh on... 2nd February 2026 · 1 min read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK Money & Lending (Dec. 2025) December’s money and lending data suggest that households’ caution with their borrowing and saving hasn’t gone away, reinforcing our view that consumer spending will underperform the consensus... 30th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Japan Rapid Response Retail Sales & Industrial Production (Dec.) Although activity indicators for December were relatively soft, they won’t have prevented the economy from bouncing back across Q4 as a whole. Moreover, there are still reasons to be cautiously... 30th January 2026 · 2 mins read
US Economics Update Larger tax refunds a windfall for households in H1 2026 Households’ annual tax refunds should be about $100bn larger this year, a windfall equivalent to 0.5% of annualised consumption. Although temporary, this boost gives us further reason to expect that... 29th January 2026 · 4 mins read
RBA Watch RBA will hike rates in February and May The ongoing persistence in underlying inflation will persuade the Reserve Bank of Australia to reverse course on rate cuts. We expect the Bank to raise rates by 25bp at its meeting next week, followed... 28th January 2026 · 7 mins read
China Activity Monitor CAP: Gap with official GDP widens further Our China Activity Proxy shows that growth slowed at the end of 2025, with the economy expanding at a rate almost 2%-pts below what official figures suggest. And while official figures indicate that... 23rd January 2026 · 1 min read
Canada Rapid Response Canada Retail Sales (Nov 2025) The strong rebound in retail sales in November appears to mostly reflect a temporary boost from Black Friday deals rather than a more lasting pickup in consumer demand, given the 0.5% decline expected... 23rd January 2026 · 2 mins read
UK Economics Rapid Response UK Retail Sales (Dec. 2025) December’s unexpected rise in retail sales volumes wasn’t enough to prevent yet another disappointing “Golden Quarter” for the retail sector, with sales declining by 0.3% q/q in Q4 overall. And while... 23rd January 2026 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Australian economy continues to run hot We learned this week that Australia’s unemployment rate fell to a seven-month low in December. The strength of the labour market is a key reason to expect consumption growth to remain brisk in the... 23rd January 2026 · 5 mins read
US Rapid Response US Personal Income & Spending (Oct. & Nov. 2025) The solid 0.3% m/m gains in real consumption in both October and November confirm that the government shutdown had very little impact on economic activity. Those gains slightly outpaced our prior... 22nd January 2026 · 3 mins read
Canada Economics Update Bank's surveys provide mixed messages for GDP and jobs There were some signs of life in the Bank of Canada’s latest quarterly surveys, with the pick-up in the indicator of future sales suggesting that the outlook for GDP growth is much better than the... 19th January 2026 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro-zone households still cautious We learnt this week that the euro-zone’s household saving rate remained very high in Q3 last year. With households still reporting low levels of confidence, we think they will continue to be reluctant... 16th January 2026 · 5 mins read
