Falls in the value of China’s recorded holdings of US Treasuries tell us little about whether China is divesting from the dollar. A broader look at the data suggests that it isn’t, despite geopolitical pressure to decouple. And while we don’t have timely …
4th October 2023
Overview – With economic activity weakening, we expect rental growth to continue trending downwards over the next year. At the same time, valuations remain stretched despite property yields continuing to rise at a steady pace. As a result, we have …
Slowing momentum in activity, the recent decline in employment, and the sharp falls in core CPI and services inflation in August are clear signs that higher interest rates are weighing more heavily on the economy. This strengthens our view that the mild …
Surveys consistent with moderate growth The small fall in the ISM services index to 53.6 in September, from 54.5, contradicted the rebound in the ISM manufacturing index. Nevertheless, the weighted average of the two ISM surveys are still consistent with …
NBP cuts again, but rates won’t fall as far as most expect The National Bank of Poland’s (NBP’s) decision to cut interest rates again today, from 6.00% to 5.75%, suggests that the doves are ruling the roost on the MPC, but we think that interest rates …
The resilience of investment in the euro-zone to higher interest rates and slowing economic growth at the start of the year appears to have been driven in part by the gradual clearing of backlogs in various industries. This has now come to an end and we …
Saudi Arabia’s labour market has strengthened markedly in its post-pandemic recovery and the headline figures mask a dramatic shift in the size and composition of the labour force. In particular, social reforms have helped the female participation rate to …
High mortgage rates crush home purchase demand Rising mortgage rates caused mortgage applications for home purchase to slip to a fresh 28-year low in September. With mortgage rates edging above 7.5% in the last week of the month as Treasury yields surged …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Euro-zone headed for recession The drop in retail sales in August and weakness in the final PMIs for September are consistent with our view that the euro-zone economy will fall …
While some measures of optimism have been improving, the majority of the survey evidence suggests the economy is weakening and the chances of the mild recession we have been forecasting have increased. The 0.5% m/m fall in real GDP in July and the decline …
With its assessment of the balance of risks broadly unchanged, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand left rates on hold at its meeting today. Although the Bank will likely retain its tightening bias, we continue to believe that the official cash rate is at its …
RBNZ’s next move will be down Although the RBNZ will retain its tightening bias, we believe that the official cash rate is at its cyclical peak. All 27 of the analysts polled by Reuters, including ourselves, had expected the Bank to leave the OCR …
Office-based jobs are on course to underperform total jobs this year for the first time since 2009 and there is a growing risk this could be repeated in 2024, though that is not yet our central forecast. At the metro level, we expect differentials to …
3rd October 2023
Although the job openings rate rebounded sharply in August, we suspect that was more noise than a signal that the labour market is enjoying a resurgence. The rest of the JOLTS report presented a more balanced picture, with the latest data still pointing …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Japan’s Ministry of Finance may have intervened in support of the yen today after the USD/JPY rate rose through the symbolic 150 level in the wake of the upside surprise in US …
Brazil’s monetary easing cycle will probably lead to higher spending in interest rate sensitive areas, such as furniture and appliances, autos and construction materials. But that won’t be enough to prevent overall GDP growth from slowing sharply – and by …
We think that the yields of Australian long-term sovereign bonds will fall by a bit less than those of US Treasuries over the next couple of years, even though they’ve moved in lockstep lately. But the picture looks a bit different, to us, in other …
Talk of “dollarisation” has recently re-emerged, despite broader moves in the EM world to challenge the hegemony of the US dollar. Indeed, the fact that Argentina is considering adopting the dollar underscores that the greenback will remain the currency …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Industry stumbled in Q3 The 0.4% m/m rise in Brazilian industrial production in August failed to fully offset the decline in July and suggests that the sector was as a drag on …
This report has been updated with additional analysis, as well as a Chart of the key data. Gulf non-oil sectors cushioning slowdown; Egypt’s economy sputtering along The September release of PMIs for the Middle East and North Africa showed that activity …
Schisms with the EU. Wavering support for Ukraine. Sky-high inflation. The stakes in Poland’s general election on Sunday 15th October couldn’t be higher. Economists from our Emerging Europe and Financial Markets teams held an online briefing about the …
Note: We discussed the key takeaways from our Q4 Global Economic and Markets Outlooks in a Drop-In on Wednesday, 11 th October. To view the recording Click here . Table of Key Forecasts Global Overview – We think that the now popular assumption that …
This publication has been updated with additional analysis. Inflation rising, but not for long The rise in Switzerland’s headline inflation rate in September was largely due to the increase in oil prices in recent months, which caused energy inflation to …
Inflation surge starting to cool, but further rate hikes in store The small (by Turkey’s recent standards) rise in inflation to 61.5% last month, from 58.9% in August, provides the first signs that the inflation spike is close to levelling off. But the …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Indian manufacturing growth cools a touch India’s manufacturing PMI moderated in September but remained high. However, there are reasons to think a further slight cooling in …
Construction spending in Korea is falling sharply as developers respond to an oversupply of new homes by cutting back on new projects. The sector’s weakness will remain a major drag on economic growth throughout next year. Property prices in Korea dropped …
While new RBA Governor Michelle Bullock didn’t spring any surprises at her first interest rate decision today, we think that the Bank will hike interest rates to a peak of 4.35% at its next meeting in November . However, we expect the RBA to pivot towards …
RBA will deliver final rate hike next month While new RBA Governor Michelle Bullock didn’t spring any surprises at her first monetary policy decision today, we think that the Bank will hike interest rates to a peak of 4.35% at its next meeting in …
By putting upward pressure on JGB yields and the yen, tighter monetary policy could lead to falls in the value of bonds and overseas assets held by Japanese investors. Insurance companies and pension funds have the most to lose. However, we do not think …
Strong production growth has helped to pull US natural gas prices below 2019 levels for most of this year. But prices should rise by the end of 2024 as production growth is set to ease and exports will surge when LNG export capacity rises by nearly a …
2nd October 2023
Markets have been in a febrile mood amid a growing belief that central banks will need to keep interest rates at elevated levels in order to properly throttle inflation. But are expectations that interest rates will remain high misplaced? Does that in …
September’s manufacturing PMIs suggest that global industrial activity stagnated at the end of Q3, and forward-looking indicators point to further weakness ahead. The recent rise in oil prices seemed to push up the prices of manufactured goods. But …
The latest above-50 readings in China’s PMIs are consistent with our view that China’s demand for commodities will remain solid in the second half of this year, but not grow strongly. The China PMIs released over the weekend pointed to fairly stable …
The higher-for-longer narrative took hold over the third quarter, pushing bonds and equities down in most markets. But we doubt that this narrative will last. We expect bond markets to rebound as inflation falls more quickly than widely anticipated. And …
The EM manufacturing PMIs for September were the proverbial mixed bag, but one commonality is that external demand remains fairly soft across the regions. Meanwhile, the further rise in the price components last month probably reflects the jump in oil …
ISM hits 10-month high; construction boosted by lack of homes for sale The ISM manufacturing index rallied to a 10-month high of 49.0 in September, from 47.6, but that still leaves the index at a level that, historically, has been consistent with GDP …
Saudi Arabia’s 2024 pre-Budget statement reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustaining its loose fiscal stance, with the government now projecting budget deficits all the way out to 2026. That shouldn’t cause any problems given the Kingdom’s strong …
The stakes could not be higher for this year’s presidential election – with the head-to-head rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump offering starkly contrasting polices on trade, the environment and international relations. Historically, US …
Buying a first home has become increasingly difficult over the past 30 years. A high income is still essential, but other circumstances such as whether the individual is buying as part of a joint-income couple or has significant family wealth have become …
Last week we published ‘AI, Economies and Markets’, our in-depth report on the economic and market implications of artificial intelligence. The report and accompanying data painted a positive picture of the potential effects of artificial intelligence on …
We suspect that before the end of the year, the ECB will announce that it will end PEPP reinvestments before the end of 2024. This would allow the ECB to shrink its balance sheet more quickly and reinforce the message that monetary policy will remain …
The valuations of “risky” assets have only been undermined a little by the big rise in the yields of “safe” assets in recent months. We think that the valuations of risky assets may fall a bit more in the near term, as growth falters. But further ahead …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . PMI continued weakness signals poor growth till year end South Africa’s manufacturing PMI recorded a fresh large fall in September, suggesting that the pick-up in activity in …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. PMIs increase, but CEE industry still in the doldrums The manufacturing PMIs increased across most of Emerging Europe last month, but remained consistent with weak industrial …
Pause in price falls unlikely to mark the trough The stabilisation of house prices in September was a surprise given mortgage rates are still well above the level which allowed the first leg down in house prices to bottom out. But leading indicators of …
The PMIs for September suggest that manufacturing activity across Emerging Asia remained weak last month. Worryingly, the PMIs point to a further rise in price pressures across the region, with the input and output price subcomponents both rising. The …
House price gains will slow further over coming months The housing rebound will continue to lose momentum over coming months as affordability is increasingly stretched, but policy easing by the RBA should provide a renewed boost to prices next year. …
Policy support should drive a turnaround The PMI surveys suggest another month of stable economic activity in September. A continued acceleration in construction activity appears to have offset a further softening in services activity. Meanwhile, …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Price pressures remain strong as economy is running hot The stronger-than-expected improvement in the latest Tankan survey suggests that the economy will continue to expand at …
