Korea’s economy weakened further in Q1 and we expect activity to remain weak in the near term due to headwinds from tariffs and the bleak outlook for the construction sector. Data released today show that GDP declined by 0.2% q/q in Q1 (following growth …
24th April 2025
Sharp rise in sales shows market still has momentum Lower mortgage rates drove a sharp rise in new home sales in March, showing that the market still has solid momentum despite inventory creeping up in the resale segment. However, with mortgage rates …
23rd April 2025
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Tariffs dampening activity but not yet inflation The marked fall in the composite PMI in April raises the chances that the uncertainty stemming from the US tariffs chaos will be …
The larger-than-expected fall in South Africa’s headline inflation rate to 2.7% y/y in March will give the Reserve Bank more confidence that its easing cycle can resume. We expect a 25bp reduction to 7.25% at the next MPC meeting in May followed by a …
Hit from tariff chaos looks small so far but could get bigger April’s euro-zone flash PMIs suggest that the immediate damage to production from US trade policy has been limited so far. But firms reported some front-loading of orders, so output might take …
Rates on hold amid currency concerns, BI in no rush to cut The decision by Bank Indonesia to leave interest rates unchanged at 5.75% came as little surprise and was correctly predicted by 24 out of the 26 analysts polled by Reuters, including ourselves. …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Fiscal position worse than OBR predicted even before US tariffs bite March’s public finances figures showed that public borrowing was overshooting the OBR’s forecast even before …
PMI data bolster the case for a shallow easing cycle Early signs suggest that the economy is holding up well despite heightened uncertainty. With firms also reporting stronger inflationary pressures, we’re sticking to our view that the RBA won’t cut rates …
Odds of a May rate cut shorten The weaker-than-expected Polish industrial production and wage data for March have increased the probability that the central bank (NBP) will restart its easing cycle at its next meeting in May, but that decision will still …
22nd April 2025
Fall in starts not a major concern The sharp fall in housing starts in March is less concerning than it seems at first glance, partly reflecting a normalisation in homebuilding after February’s weather-driven surge, rather than a collapse in the sector. …
17th April 2025
ECB acknowledges downside risks from trade uncertainty While the ECB’s decision to cut its deposit rate from 2.5% to 2.25% today was expected, the monetary policy statement clearly points to further policy easing to come. The statement says the outlook …
CBRT signals tight policy here to stay The decision by the Turkish central bank (CBRT) to hike its one-week repo rate by 350bp, to 46.00%, formalises the emergency monetary tightening delivered last month and is a strong signal of commitment to a tight …
Strong labour market lessens the need for aggressive cuts With the labour market broadly on solid ground, we expect the RBA to deliver only a shallow easing cycle. The 32,00 rise in employment in March was a touch softer than the 40,000 increase that we …
Interest rates on hold, but BoK to resume easing cycle soon The Bank of Korea today left its main policy rate unchanged at 2.75%, but we think this represents a pause not an end to the easing cycle. The decision was correctly predicted by 24 out of 37 …
Exports will rebound across Q2 While export values fell in March, we expect them to rebound over the coming months as US consumers rush to place orders before the suspension of reciprocal tariffs ends in July. The annual increase in export values slowed …
RBNZ won’t fret the modest uptick in inflation Although headline inflation in Q1 was stronger than it had anticipated, we suspect the RBNZ will take comfort from the fact that measures of core inflation continued to fall towards the mid-point of its 1-3% …
Bank holds but further cuts likely amid dovish communications The Bank of Canada’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged at 2.75% today was not a huge surprise given recent above-target gains in core prices, concerns about future price increases and …
16th April 2025
Tariff hit yet to come The fall in industrial production in March was not as bad as it looks given that it was driven solely by a large weather-related drop in utilities output. Manufacturing enjoyed a strong first quarter with output rising by 5.1% …
Consumption growth rebounds following weather-related weakness A presumably temporary pre-tariff surge in motor vehicle sales drove the strong 1.4% m/m increase in retail sales in March. But there was also a big 3.3% m/m rebound in building materials …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Dip in inflation won’t last, but weak economy will quash inflation eventually The dip in CPI inflation from 2.8% in February to 2.6% in March (CE forecast 2.6%, consensus 2.7%) …
Q1 ended on a stronger note thanks to fiscal boost China’s economy regained some momentum in March thanks to fiscal support, which helped the Q1 GDP figures beat expectations. Still, this wasn ’t enough to deliver faster growth over the quarter as a …
Gasoline-driven fall in headline inflation The downward surprise to CPI inflation in March, along with the first target-consistent gains in CPI-trim and CPI-median in eight months, at the margin raise the odds of a rate cut by the Bank of Canada tomorrow. …
15th April 2025
Further fall in inflation paves way for more interest rate cuts The larger-than-expected fall in Indian consumer price inflation in March, which pushes it further below the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) 4% target, reinforces our view that the central …
Outlook clouded by tariff tensions This publication has been updated with additional analysis The increase in euro-zone industrial production for a second consecutive month in February is not a sign of a sustained recovery for the sector. Instead, it is …
Broad-based strengthening of price pressures Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate picked up to 2.3% y/y in March, the fastest pace since the middle of 2023. (See Chart 1.) And inflation strengthened across most categories of the CPI basket, suggesting …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Jobs growth weakens with more to come While the jobs market weakened further, there were few signs this is feeding through to slower wage growth. But if the more uncertain …
A final hurrah Export growth accelerated in March, as manufacturers rushed to ship goods to the US ahead of “Liberation Day”. But shipments are set to drop back over the coming months and quarters. We think it could be years before Chinese exports regain …
14th April 2025
Loan growth no longer slowing Bank loan growth accelerated for the first time in over two years last month, helping to take broad credit growth to a 10-month high. While some further gains are likely, we still expect a more modest pick-up compared to …
Singapore’s central bank loosened monetary policy again today and with inflation set to remain low and the economy weak, further easing looks likely in the coming quarters. The MAS conducts monetary policy by targeting the nominal effective exchange rate …
The tariff exemptions reported in the dead of night by the CBP on various electronics goods, including smartphones, semiconductors, electronic circuits and TVs, represent a partial de-escalation of President Trump’s trade war with China. The 20 product …
12th April 2025
Stagflation on consumers’ minds The further fall in the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index in April along with the rise in both one- and five-year inflation expectations, suggests that the tariff-related fears which had soured sentiment over …
11th April 2025
One step forward after two steps back and with a mountain ahead Following the favourable CPI and PPI data, we estimate that the core PCE deflator rose by a below-target 0.05% m/m in March. Even taking into account a likely upward revision to the rise in …
Inflation rises again, Copom to deliver a bit more tightening The jump in Brazil’s headline inflation rate to 5.5% y/y in March looks set to be followed by further increases towards 6% y/y over the coming months. Copom will almost certainly deliver a bit …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Surprisingly strong growth to prove short-lived, as rises in tariffs and taxes bite The surprisingly strong 0.5% m/m rise in GDP in February (consensus +0.1%, CE 0.0%) and the …
Core PCE prices on track for below-target 0.11% gain The unexpectedly small 0.06% m/m rise in the core CPI in March was partly due to steep falls in hotel prices and airline fares, which reflect both weakening domestic demand and the recent drop in …
10th April 2025
Inflation picks up, but loosening cycle still set to begin next week Egypt’s headline inflation rate increased to 13.6% y/y in March, but we still expect policymakers at the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to deliver the first interest rate cut in nearly five …
Low inflation and tariff uncertainty supports case for further monetary easing The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) resumed its easing cycle today by lowering its policy rate by 25bp (to 5.50%) and in its communications highlighted the threat to …
Trade war to exacerbate deflation Deflationary pressures persisted last month and will almost certainly deepen over the coming quarters as it becomes more difficult for Chinese firms to export their excess supply. CPI deflation eased from -0.7% y/y in …
Although President Donald Trump was able to resist the stock market sell-off, once the bond market began to weaken too, it was only a matter of time before he folded on his eye-wateringly high tariffs. Trump has announced an immediate 90-day pause, during …
9th April 2025
RBI’s easing cycle will run further than most expect The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) decision to cut the repo rate by another 25bps today to 6.00% comes as no surprise given the recent sharp drop in inflation and the headwinds from US tariffs. But the …
RBNZ will cut further than most anticipate The RBNZ cut rates by 25bp at its meeting today, while signalling that further easing would be forthcoming in the months ahead. We think the Bank will ultimately loosen policy settings to a greater degree than …
Israel holds rates steady ahead of Trump-Netanyahu talks The Bank of Israel (BoI) left its policy rate on hold again today, at 4.50%, and sounded a bit more hawkish than at its previous meeting despite highlighting possibly quite a large hit to economic …
7th April 2025
Tariffs unlikely to bring forward rate cuts The communications accompanying the decision by the National Bank of Romania (NBR) to leave its policy rate on hold today, at 6.50%, highlighted two-sided risks to inflation and economic activity from US trade …
Retail sales picked up in February This publication has been updated with additional analysis Euro-zone retail sales rose in February for the first time since September last year, and we expect consumer spending to grow at a modest pace over the coming …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Housing market loses steam in Q1 The 0.5% m/m fall in Halifax house prices in March provides further evidence that the boost from buyers rushing to complete home purchases before …
German industry already weak of tariff hit The fall in German industrial production in February left it very weak. With US demand generating around 7% of German manufacturing value added, the sector will be hit hard by US tariffs. And higher defence and …
Underlying wage growth remains strong We suspect that the sharp slowdown in regular earnings growth in February is just a sampling anomaly rather than a sign of genuine weakness. With this year’s spring wage negotiations resulting in a larger pay hike …
Payrolls brings better news The bumper 228,000 rise in non-farm payrolls in March offers some welcome good news amid the escalating global trade war, showing that the labour market remains healthy despite the drag from DOGE-led federal job cuts. We expect …
4th April 2025
Tariffs not entirely to blame for employment fall While US tariffs will be the obvious culprit for the fall in employment in March, two-thirds of the decline was concentrated in the services sector, suggesting that other factors were at play. Nonetheless, …
Rising interest rates and costs weigh on construction activity The headline CIPS construction PMI saw a small rise in March to 46.4, from 44.6 in February. But that still left the balance below 50 and consistent with a contracting construction sector. …
