Bank of Canada Watch Too soon for pause to become permanent The fall in CPI inflation in January and stagnation in fourth-quarter GDP mean there is little chance of the Bank of Canada resuming interest rate hikes next week. But concerns about the tight labour... 1st March 2023 · 7 mins read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Applications (Feb.) Stronger-than-expected economic data led to a resurgence in mortgage rates in February, which put a stop to a tentative recovery in mortgage applications for home purchase. This points to sales... 1st March 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Data Response Money & Credit (Jan.) While January’s money and credit figures suggest that higher interest rates are continuing to act as a drag on the housing market, they appear to be having less influence in other areas of the economy... 1st March 2023 · 3 mins read
UK Commercial Property Data Response Lending to commercial property (Jan.) Net lending to property was once again positive in January, even as commercial property investment collapsed in the final quarter of last year. Investors may be preparing to re-enter the market and... 1st March 2023 · 3 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Lending (Jan.) The spike in mortgage rates in October and November last year ensured that mortgage approvals remained at a similar level to the depths of the 2007-09 financial crisis in January. That could mark the... 1st March 2023 · 3 mins read
RBA Watch RBA will lift cash rate to 4.1% The RBA adopted a more hawkish tone at its February meeting and we expect it to hike the cash rate to 4.1% by May. But with recent economic data mostly surprising to the downside, we still see a good... 1st March 2023 · 8 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Feb.) The further fall in house prices in February will keep optimism based on reports that demand has recovered in check. Indeed, even if buyer volumes have recovered, the amount they can spend on a new... 1st March 2023 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Australia CoreLogic House Prices (Feb.) Although the decline in house prices slowed markedly in February, we’re not convinced the worst is over. As such, we expect house prices to fall by another 6% before the year is up. 1st March 2023 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Australia GDP (Q4 22) & CPI Indicator (Jan. 23) GDP growth softened last quarter and inflation slowed sharply in January. But with inflation still very high, that won’t prevent the RBA from hiking the cash rate to a peak of 4.1% in May. 1st March 2023 · 3 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Rapid Response Australia GDP (Q4 22) & Monthly CPI Indicator (Jan. 23) 1st March 2023 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Data Response Case-Shiller/FHFA House Prices (Dec.) Despite a sixth consecutive month of falling house prices in December, affordability was still stretched even before the renewed rise in mortgage rates. As a result, it is likely that prices will... 28th February 2023 · 3 mins read
Canada Data Response GDP (Q4) The stagnation in fourth-quarter GDP, together with the downward revision to third-quarter GDP growth, leaves the economy in worse shape than the Bank of Canada expected. That is another reason to... 28th February 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Economics Update Profit margins another potential threat to inflation outlook A widening in profit margins could mean that inflation is slower to fall back to the Bank of England’s 2.0% target than we expect. That would cause the Bank to raise interest rates even further than... 28th February 2023 · 5 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Retail Sales (Jan. 2023) & GDP Partials (Q4 2022) While retail sales bounced back in January, the rebound probably won’t be enough to prevent a contraction in sales volumes across the first quarter. 28th February 2023 · 4 mins read
Japan Data Response Japan Industrial Production & Retail Sales (Jan. 23) We suspect that the early start to the Lunar New Year was partly responsible for the sharp fall in industrial production in January and there should be a strong rebound in February. Meanwhile, retail... 28th February 2023 · 2 mins read
