Global Economics Update World trade edging up as freight rates sink After a historically weak 2023, there are early signs of a modest turnaround in world goods trade which we expect to endure. Meanwhile, global container shipping costs have halved – and those for... 9th April 2024 · 4 mins read
US Housing Market Update Rising home listings won’t derail our price forecast We think that reports of a wave of new resale supply coming onto the market are overblown. While the number of homes being listed for sale has increased compared to last year, it is still low by... 9th April 2024 · 3 mins read
Japan Economics Update A close race for fourth place The slump in the yen has resulted in Germany overtaking Japan as the world’s 3rd largest economy at market exchange rates. We expect Japan to overtake Germany yet again in the early 2030s as the yen... 9th April 2024 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Falling full-time employment not a sign of weakness The rise in part-time employment is not a sign of economic weakness, but instead reflects the large inflow of prime-age women into the labour force, who have been the big beneficiaries of the post... 8th April 2024 · 4 mins read
US Commercial Property Office Metros Outlook Value falls of 25% still to come in worst-hit markets Our latest office metro forecasts highlight a continued divergence between southern metros and the western and major markets. That difference in performance will be driven by a smaller hit to demand... 8th April 2024 · 7 mins read
UK Economics Update BoE should start publishing interest rate projections The Bernanke review of the Bank of England’s forecasting and communications will probably recommend the Bank illustrates the risks around its forecasts using alternative scenarios rather than fan... 8th April 2024 · 7 mins read
Europe Rapid Response German Industrial Production (Feb.) The second consecutive large monthly rise in German industrial production in February confirms the sector has started the year on a better note. But we still expect it to struggle over the rest of... 8th April 2024 · 2 mins read
Canada Economics Weekly Insolvency data make for grim reading The insolvency data released this week show the toll that high interest rates are putting on consumers and businesses. That is unlikely to be enough to persuade the Bank of Canada to cut interest... 5th April 2024 · 3 mins read
US Economics Weekly Supercore inflation fundamentals still improving This week brought more good news on the outlook for so-called supercore inflation. 5th April 2024 · 7 mins read
Canada Rapid Response Canada Labour Force Survey (Mar. 2024) The jump in the unemployment rate in March, together with evidence of easing wage pressures, raises the chance of the Bank of Canada surprising markets with a rate cut next week, although our base... 5th April 2024 · 2 mins read
US Rapid Response Employment Report (Mar.) The blockbuster 303,000 increase in non-farm payrolls in March supports the Fed’s position that the resilience of the economy means it can take its time with rate cuts, which might now not begin until... 5th April 2024 · 3 mins read
UK Economics Weekly Upturn in money growth tallies with stronger activity Whether you’re a monetarist or not, it’s hard to ignore that the surge and plunge in the money supply preceded the surge and plunge in inflation. An imminent rebound in the money supply supports the... 5th April 2024 · 7 mins read
UK Housing Market Rapid Response UK Halifax House Prices (Mar. 24) The first decline in the Halifax House price Index in six months confirmed that the slight rise in mortgage rates since the start of the year has caused house prices to stall. 5th April 2024 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Firm population growth creates quandary for the RBA The minutes of the RBA’s March meeting revealed that the Board has now dropped its tightening bias. However, we suspect it will be a while before the Bank can be confident it has broken the back of... 5th April 2024 · 4 mins read
Japan Economics Weekly Ueda signals low bar for further rate hikes Bank of Japan Governor Ueda today indicated that it wouldn't take much for the Bank to hike interest rates further in the second half of the year. The extreme labour shortages coupled with persistent... 5th April 2024 · 5 mins read
