UK Economics Update MPC softens tone on interest rate rises Given the drop in GDP in April and the fall in inflation back to target in May, there was never much chance that the MPC would raise interest rates from 0.75% today. What’s more, the tone of the... 20th June 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Equities may be the next shoe to drop Just as we had expected, global forces have contributed to 10-year gilt yields falling below 1.00% and the pound weakening to a recent low of close to $1.25. If we are right in thinking that the... 5th June 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update The policies of the 12 trying to get into Number 10 While the 12 candidates for the leadership of the Conservative party are divided over the best approach to Brexit, they seem reasonably united in calling for looser fiscal policy. That could give the... 4th June 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update No change in households’ appetite to spend Reassuringly, following the raft of weak survey data released this week, consumer credit growth held up well in April. And with the labour market healthy and interest rates only likely to rise... 31st May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Prime Minister Theresa May resigns The resignation of Prime Minister, Theresa May, supports our recent view that the chances of a Brexit deal have fallen and that the chances of another delay and a no deal Brexit have risen. While the... 24th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Don’t write off higher inflation Yesterday’s revelation that inflation in April rose above the Bank of England’s 2% target captured the headlines, but inflation was actually weaker than we had expected. A closer inspection suggests... 23rd May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Brexit events raise risk economy is in limbo for longer The reaction to Theresa May’s “new” Brexit deal suggests that the chances of a deal have fallen and the chances of another delay, a no deal, no Brexit and/or a general election have all risen. It’s... 22nd May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Where should interest rates be? A policy rule suggests that for the time being the financial markets may be justified in taking a relatively sanguine approach towards the risk of rising interest rates. But should a Brexit deal be... 21st May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Who is getting a pay rise of over 3%? The labour market is running hot, but some people doubt that wages are rising by more than 3% a year. That is probably because higher pay growth is being driven by the small share of workers switching... 16th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Rising services inflation to bolster case for rate hikes The sluggishness in CPI inflation can partly be explained by factors that will prove temporary. And with cost pressures building, there is scope for services inflation to push the CPI rate higher than... 9th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update What Q1 will give, Q2 may take away While the release of the GDP data for Q1 this Friday will probably show that the economy grew at a healthy clip, we doubt that Q2 will be as good. 8th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update General hawkish message from the MPC Even after the announcement of the six-month Brexit delay, there was never much chance that the MPC would raise interest rates from its current rate of 0.75% with the possibility of a no deal Brexit... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Will firms pass on rises in labour costs? With CPI inflation still subdued, firms’ profit margins appear to have borne the brunt of the recent rises in wage costs. However, we suspect that firms will pass on rising costs to consumers in time... 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Shying away from borrowing to spend on big items The subdued rise in borrowing in March may be because Brexit has sapped households’ desire to borrow to buy big items. At the aggregate level, low interest rates mean that debt is still manageable. 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update An ageing population won’t stop growth in its tracks An ageing population should have dragged down participation in the labour force sharply over the past decade, but falling economic inactivity, particularly amongst women, has meant that the... 29th April 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Does a change in the BoE Governor matter? While the next Governor of the Bank of England may change lots of things within the Bank, the economic data will remain the biggest driver of monetary policy. And if Labour won the next general... 26th April 2019 · 1 min read
