Stubborn services inflation means Banxico to tread slowly with cuts Although Mexico’s headline inflation rate was weaker than expected last month (at 4.3% y/y), uncomfortably strong services inflation supports our view that Banxico’s easing cycle (likely …
7th December 2023
SNB Chairman Thomas Jordan recently reiterated the Bank’s line that “we will not hesitate to tighten monetary policy further if necessary” but the actual question is whether policymakers will hesitate to cut rates. We think the answer is yes and that they …
Overview – The surprising strength this year of the region’s two largest economies, Brazil and Mexico, will fade in 2024 and growth over the next couple of years is likely to come in below consensus expectations. In contrast, the Andean economies are set …
Even though zinc supply growth is likely to remain solid owing to strong growth in China and easing input cost constraints in Europe, we think that those factors will be outstripped by a recovery in demand. As such, our forecast is for the zinc price to …
As the year draws to a close, this note looks back at the recent performance of stock markets across the world and lays out our view of what might happen next year. In short, US equities have largely outperformed in 2023, and we think that they will …
A stand-out feature of the emerging world in 2023 has been the extent to which economic cycles have diverged. Divergence is likely to be the name of the game in 2024 too. We think some countries which have performed surprisingly well this year (e.g. …
Despite the recent paring back of interest rate expectations across Europe, we think Norges Bank is likely to go ahead with one final 25bp hike next week – taking the policy rate to a peak of 4.50% – though it will signal that its tightening cycle is …
Overview – Economic growth in most of Emerging Asia is likely to slow in the near term as weak global demand and high interest rates weigh on prospects. With growth set to struggle and inflation likely to ease, interest rate cuts are likely to come on to …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Industrial recession continues The fifth successive monthly fall in industrial output in October suggests that industry will again be a drag on economic activity in Q4 and will …
Halifax confirms that prices are on the rise again The second consecutive monthly rise in the Halifax house price index in November mirrored the increase in the Nationwide index, confirming that house prices have not only stabilised, but are rising. …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Export volumes reach new high China’s export values rose year-on-year for the first time since May while the level of export volumes hit a fresh high, supported by exporters …
Net trade could remain a drag on growth in Q4 Notwithstanding the slight expansion in the goods trade surplus in October, net trade could subtract from growth this quarter. The rise in the goods trade surplus from a downwards-revised $6.2bn in September …
We think that sovereign bond yields in most major economies will generally reach their troughs around the same time over the next year or so. But with the Bank of Japan seemingly set to buck the trend once again, yields there may be an exception. The …
Property yields rose across all sectors in Q3, but this was offset by a sharp rise in alternative asset yields towards the end of the quarter. As a result, all sectors saw a deterioration in valuations, which pushed the retail sector back into the …
6th December 2023
While government bond yields continue to plunge and the main euro-zone equity index has risen to a new high, the rally in US equities has stalled over recent days and the dollar recovered some ground. This suggests to us that the resurgent optimism in …
The Bank of Canada is clinging on to the idea that restrictive policy is still needed to get inflation back to 2%. Nonetheless, with core inflation pressures muted, GDP and house prices falling, and labour market conditions loosening rapidly, it won’t be …
Overview – As core inflation is on track to return to the 2% target by the middle of next year, we expect the Fed to cut interest rates by 25bp at every meeting next year from March onwards, with rates eventually falling to between 3.00% and 3.25% in …
Cocoa prices neared a 45-year high in November on the back of concerns about supply from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Constrained supply alongside high seasonal demand will, in our view, continue to support high cocoa prices through 2024, until new supply …
Bank maintains tightening bias, but next move likely to be a cut The policy statement from the Bank of Canada was a bit more hawkish than we expected, with the Bank reiterating that it is still concerned about the outlook for inflation and “remains …
Officials not yet willing to fully endorse rate cut bets; tightening bias could be retained New SEP should confirm rates are at the peak but significant downgrades unlikely We expect the first rate cut in March and 175bp of easing in total next year With …
Imports and exports set for further growth in Q4 Despite the widening in the trade deficit in October, net trade looks set to be only a modest drag on fourth-quarter GDP growth. But the survey evidence suggests renewed weakness in exports may still lie …
Slump in imports only partly due to UAW strike The slump in import volumes in October was partly due to the knock-on effects of the UAW strike in the US, but it also suggests that firms are now drawing down their inventories as demand weakens. That raises …
Easing cycle paused The National Bank of Poland (NBP) left interest rates on hold as expected today, and we think the easing cycle will remain on pause until the end of Q1. With the economy recovering and the disinflation process likely to stall over the …
Note: We’ll be discussing the Fed, ECB and Bank of England December decisions and the policy outlook for 2024 in an online briefing on Thursday, 14 th December . Click here to register for the 20-minute session. ECB will slash its 2024 inflation forecast …
Falling rates allow mortgage demand to recover Falling mortgage rates sparked a modest uptick in mortgage applications for home purchase in November. Recent falls in Treasury yields mean further falls in mortgage rates are imminent, so the trough in …
Overview – China’s economy has regained some strength recently. We expect this to continue into 2024, on the back of support from fiscal policy and a further pick-up in household spending. But with property construction likely to continue to decline and …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Construction PMIs once again below 50 in November The headline CIPS construction PMI barely changed in November, settling at 45.5 from 45.6 in October, and was still below the 50 …
GDP growth will continue to disappoint GDP growth was softer than most expected in Q3 and with that weakness set to continue, we think that the RBA is done tightening policy. The 0.2% q/q rise in output fell short of the analyst consensus of 0.4% as well …
We held two online Drop-In sessions today to discuss the outlook for 2024 and the risks to our forecasts. (See a recording here .) This Update summarises the answers to several of the questions that we received. Are there recessions coming in advanced …
5th December 2023
Although the relative performance of the three “big-tech” sectors of the S&P 500 has underwhelmed recently, we suspect that they will be at, or near, the front of the pack again in 2024. While the three big-tech “growth-heavy” sectors that contain the …
November JOLTS data suggest that labour market slack is growing, even as payroll growth remains relatively resilient. With signs pointing to a sharper fall in wage growth ahead, the Fed can be reassured ahead of its meeting next week that that …
Hotel demand has suffered recently from the impact of high inflation and interest rates weighing on discretionary spending. But thanks to the soaring cost of foreign holidays and a revival in international tourism, we think that hotel rental growth will …
First-time buyer (FTB) loan originations have been weak for over a year now. That’s mainly down to higher mortgage rates which have made buying too expensive for many younger adults. And as we think mortgage rates are unlikely to drop much below 6.0% …
