UK Economics Update April’s rise in minimum wage will keep the BoE on alert We doubt the big rise in the minimum wage in April will prevent wage growth from falling faster this year than the Bank of England has forecast. But the clear risk is that it supports wage growth and... 11th March 2024 · 5 mins read
UK Economics Update Stickiest part of services inflation may soon worry BoE less Our view that the Bank of England will become less concerned by the most persistent part of services CPI inflation suggests that it will cut interest rates in the summer, perhaps in June. But the risk... 4th March 2024 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Update The Times: Why 99 per cent mortgages will make the housing crisis worse A version of this report was originally published as an opinion piece in The Times on 28th February 2024. 28th February 2024 · 4 mins read
UK Economics Update Spring Budget 2024 Checklist This is an updated checklist which takes into account our latest expectations for the Spring Budget. The checklist helps clients keep track of the key policies and forecasts announced during the... 28th February 2024 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Update The implications of different combos of Prime Minister & President The outlook for the UK economy is unlikely to be very different depending on which of the possible combinations of UK Prime Ministers and US Presidents this year’s elections deliver. Even so, there... 26th February 2024 · 7 mins read
UK Economics Update Lower unemployment rate raises risk of later rate cuts The news this morning that the unemployment rate is lower than previously thought increases the chances that interest rate cuts start a little later and are slower. 5th February 2024 · 2 mins read
UK Economics Update Rate cuts may come sooner than the BoE implies While leaving interest rates at 5.25% for the fourth meeting in a row today, the Bank of England sent a signal that the next move will be a cut, but it pushed back strongly against the idea that rates... 1st February 2024 · 4 mins read
UK Economics Update Fiscal Headroom Monitor: More room for tax cuts Our new Fiscal Headroom Monitor uses a simplified version of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s model to estimate how changes in market interest rate expectations and gilt yields are influencing... 25th January 2024 · 5 mins read
UK Economics Update When one MPC member turns, the herd quickly follows History suggests that when one Monetary Policy Committee member votes to cut interest rates, a majority of the nine members will agree about two meetings later. 23rd January 2024 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Update Drag on economic growth from credit starting to fade The Bank of England’s Q4 Credit Conditions Survey suggests the worst of the drag on economic growth from higher interest rates is fading. That suggests an economic recovery will begin later this year. 18th January 2024 · 2 mins read
FX Markets Update We think sterling has further to fall against the US dollar While sterling has outperformed other G10 currencies amid the dollar sell-off over the past couple of months, we expect it to reverse its gains against the greenback as short-term Gilt yields edge... 16th January 2024 · 2 mins read
UK Economics Update Resilience in business investment won't last We doubt the recent resilience of business investment in the face of higher interest rates will last. We think a drop back in business investment will contribute to the economy continuing to stagnate... 15th January 2024 · 5 mins read
UK Economics Update Loan defaults unlikely to hinder economic recovery The lagged effects of the weak economy and high interest rates may mean that loan default rates rise in the coming months. But the prospect of interest rate cuts later this year will mean they won’t... 10th January 2024 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Update New interest rate forecast – first cut sooner, end destination is 3% In a change to our previous forecast, we now think that the first interest rate cut from the Bank of England will happen in June this year rather than in November. We still think that interest rates... 3rd January 2024 · 6 mins read
UK Economics Update Few signs BoE is starting to contemplate rate cuts The Bank of England sprung no surprises, leaving interest rates at 5.25% for the third time in a row and pushing back against the prospect of near-term interest rate cuts. While the recent soft wage... 14th December 2023 · 4 mins read
UK Economics Update Lessons from 2023 and forecasts for 2024 Even though we expect the economy to be weaker than the consensus in 2024, we think that lingering constraints on domestic supply will prevent wage growth and services CPI inflation from falling quite... 7th December 2023 · 8 mins read
