Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Central Bank of Iceland at the end of its loosening cycle Despite the increased likelihood of looser fiscal policy next year following the collapse of the government last month, the Central Bank of Iceland (CBI) today opted to cut interest rates. We suspect... 4th October 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Government collapse triggers Icelandic market sell-off Bond yields across the Nordic and Swiss economies rose in September, largely in line with global trends as investors brought forward their expectations for monetary policy normalisation by the US Fed... 29th September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Will Switzerland’s economic recovery restart? In light of the disappointing performance of the Swiss economy in the first half of the year, we have revised down our 2017 GDP forecast substantially. We still expect the economic recovery to gain... 22nd September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Interest rate hikes in Norway a very long way off The Norges Bank today raised its interest rate forecast, implying that it will begin tightening monetary policy mid-way through 2019. By contrast, we think that it will wait until 2020. 21st September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Minutes show doves still rule the Riksbank roost Today’s Riksbank minutes suggest that at least two of the six Board members would support an extension of the Riksbank’s QE programme beyond the current December end date. But given our forecast for... 21st September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update SNB language tweaks don’t signal policy shift The Swiss National Bank today acknowledged the depreciation of the franc over recent months but stressed that it was still necessary to keep interest rates at rock-bottom levels and maintain the... 14th September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Riksbank’s forward guidance unchanged despite high inflation While inflation in Sweden is higher than the Riksbank’s 2% target, the Bank’s decision to keep its forward guidance unchanged was not a major shock. The Riksbank is unlikely to shift its guidance... 7th September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update What will Norway’s election mean for the economy? Polls suggest that the Green Party might emerge from Norway’s general election, on 11th September, as “kingmaker”. In that case, confidence in the large oil sector would probably fall. But overall, we... 4th September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Nordic and Swiss bond yields decline Bond yields in most Nordic and Swiss markets fell in August, matching global trends. Currencies recorded mixed performances against the euro, with the Swiss franc depreciating while the Swedish krona... 1st September 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Central Bank of Iceland nearing the end of its loosening cycle While the Central Bank of Iceland (CBI) left rates unchanged today, our expectation that the króna will appreciate in the coming months means we expect one more rate cut this year, in November. 23rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Has Swedish inflation actually picked up? In recent months Swedish inflation has been artificially boosted by a new method for calculating package holiday prices. While the Riksbank will look through this particular effect, it is nevertheless... 22nd August 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swiss wage growth to stay low despite unemployment falls The decline in Swiss unemployment in Q2 shows that improving economic conditions are continuing to feed through to the labour market. While we expect unemployment to fall further, we doubt that this... 17th August 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swiss franc set for further small depreciation The Swiss franc was the worst performing major currency last month. While the franc’s depreciation has been stronger than we had anticipated, we still see it depreciating a little further against the... 3rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swedish political scandal lowers chance of tax hikes After last week’s political scandal, Sweden’s Government needs to boost its popularity. So the Government seems likely to row back from planned tax hikes ahead of next year’s general election. 31st July 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Mixed performances for Nordic and Swiss currencies After fairly big rises in yields in June, July was a quieter month for Nordic & Swiss government bonds. There was more action in the currency market, with the Norwegian krone and Swedish krona rising... 27th July 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update How will the Riksbank react to the strengthening krona? The krona’s recent rise means that exchange rate effects will detract from Swedish inflation in 2018. But with domestic inflation set to rise further above 2%, this should not prevent the Riksbank... 17th July 2017 · 1 min read
