Note: Join our Tuesday 18 th April online briefing discussing what China’s Q1 “data dump” tells us about the strength of the country’s reopening recovery. Register Now . The rebound has exceeded most expectations Mixed data have contributed to differences …
14th April 2023
Sales saved by online strength Retail sales fell by 1.0% m/m in March, adding to the evidence that the strong start to the year was partly due to the unseasonably mild winter weather. With control group sales only falling by 0.3% m/m last month, …
Further evidence of fading economic momentum The 0.5% m/m fall in manufacturing output in March provides yet more evidence of a significant loss of economic momentum going into the second quarter. While the return of temperatures to seasonal norms last …
Surge in household incomes unlikely to be sustained The UK economy has continued to be more resilient to the twin drags of higher inflation and higher interest rates than we thought. Real GDP was flat in February despite an extra drag from the strikes. …
Sales boosted by online strength Retail sales fell by 1.0% m/m in March, adding to the evidence that the strong start to the year was partly due to the unseasonably mild winter weather. With control group sales only falling by 0.3% m/m last month, …
Financial market strains have eased over recent weeks, though some pockets of uncertainty remain and our sense is that the risk of further problems emerging in the coming months remains high. Since the forced takeover of Credit Suisse by rival UBS three …
Headline inflation falling, but little else to cheer for The raft of March inflation data released across Emerging Europe this week showed that the regional disinflation process is now well underway, but that core price pressures remain incredibly strong. …
This week, Swiss legislators voiced their concerns about the collapse of Credit Suisse and its takeover by UBS. While the vote to reject the Credit Suisse rescue package will not affect the takeover itself, or the government guarantees provided, it has …
Data point to positive growth in Q1 The latest official activity data suggest that the euro-zone economy posted a small expansion in Q1. Admittedly, retail sales fell in February, continuing the downward trend they have been on for over a year. But lower …
After a strong 2022, we expect Warsaw offices to face a more difficult time ahead. Falling employment and hybrid working practices will limit any revival in demand after 2023 and leave rents underperforming both the CEE and wider European averages. The …
Difficult balancing act for the Philippines The US and the Philippines this week began their largest-ever joint military exercises, with 17,000 troops taking part. The exercises follow an agreement in February that provided the US with four more …
India becomes home to world’s largest population According to UN projections, India will today become home to the world’s largest population, displacing China from the number one spot. In truth, the exact timing of the transition is unknown: it may even …
Core inflation dips below 9% The fall in Sweden’s measure of core inflation to 8.9% in March suggests that it may now be passed its peak. But it is still much higher than the Riksbank had anticipated at its February meeting and does not change our view …
On April 13 th a three-member panel delivered its review of Australia’s migration system to the Home Affairs minister, Claire O’Neil. Although the review is unlikely to be published before next month, it is already stoking debate over whether the ongoing …
Ueda has his eye on wage growth Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda noted in his inaugural press conference this week that more time is needed to see if wage growth can be sustained at a level where it will support inflation at or above the 2% target. So …
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) kept policy on hold today and with the economy set to struggle and inflation likely to fall sharply over the coming quarters we expect today’s decision to have marked an end to the tightening cycle. The MAS …
MAS keeps policy unchanged while GDP contracts The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) kept monetary policy on hold today and with the economy set to struggle and inflation likely to fall sharply over the coming quarters we expect today’s decision to …
Recent data appear to confirm that economic activity held up better than feared at the start of 2023. Retail sales rose in most major economies over the first two months of the year, world industrial production was broadly stable and China’s zero-COVID …
13th April 2023
We think Peru’s central bank will keep its policy rate on hold at 7.75% (Thu.) US activity data for March may cast doubt on the case for a 25bp hike (Fri.) We expect Singapore’s central bank to leave policy unchanged (Fri.) Key Market Themes The recent …
Forecasts unchanged, lower production will support prices Despite justifying its recent production cuts on an uncertain demand outlook, OPEC did not make any changes to its 2023 global GDP or oil demand forecasts in its monthly report for March. We think …
Although the Turkish lira is at its weakest ever level against the US dollar, it would have fallen far further by now were it not for intervention by policymakers. We anticipate that the currency will depreciate sharply before long against a backdrop of …
The raft of EM CPI figures out this week show that headline inflation is, in aggregate, finally starting to fall significantly, and we expect it to decline further in the coming months. But core inflation is easing relatively slowly, and remains …
Although equity and oil prices are usually positively correlated, we think equities will struggle in the next few months and that oil prices will end this year somewhat higher than they are now. We also expect a rebound in equities across the board in …
This report has been updated with an additional table and chart of the key data. Price pressures continue to ease Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate slowed from 3.0% y/y in February to 2.7% y/y in March as both food and non-food inflation decreased …
Inflation nearing a peak but devaluation fears linger Egyptian inflation rose to its fastest pace since mid-2017 in March and, while there are signs it could be nearing its peak, mounting pressure on the pound presents a clear upside risk. Data released …
The fading effects of the mini-budget meant that bank lending conditions to households and businesses didn’t deteriorate any further in Q1. But the latest credit conditions survey doesn’t capture the full extent of the tightening triggered by recent …
Despite the cost-of-living crisis, the leisure sector did better than expected last year as households used the savings they had built up during the pandemic to boost spending on recreation and restaurants. But with those savings now exhausted and real …
China’s commodity imports generally rose strongly in March which we think reflects higher demand as a result of the re-opening of the economy. While April data may also be strong, we expect import volumes to soften later in the year as export demand …
Mortgage demand still the limiting factor The headline mortgage availability balance of the credit conditions survey turned positive for the first time in over a year in Q1. The collapse of SVB while the survey was in the field probably helps explain why …
The shipping industry is notable as being both a vital artery of world trade and one of the trickiest sectors to de-carbonise. This Update looks at five key questions on the near-term plans to reduce emissions from the sector and the potential …
Bank of England may yet need to generate a recession The stagnation in real GDP in February means the economy probably avoided recession in Q1. But it also increases the chances that the Bank of England will need to raise interest rates further to …
Continuing to dodge recession The stagnation in real GDP in February (consensus +0.1%, CE 0.0%) means the economy probably avoided recession in Q1. But it also increases the chances that the Bank of England will need to raise interest rates further to …
Survey undermines hopes of a spring awakening The marginal improvement in the headline prices paid and new buyer enquiries balance of the RICS Residential Survey did not alter the overarching message that prices are falling and sales slumping. While the …
This page has been updated with additional analysis and charts since first publication. Note: Join our 18th April online briefing discussing what China’s Q1 “data dump” tells us about the strength of the country’s reopening recovery. Register now . …
Resilient labour market will prompt RBA to hike rates further in May The strength in March’s labour market data will probably prompt the Reserve Bank of Australia to deliver a final 25bp rate hike next month, but unemployment will rise before long . The …
The strength in March’s labour market data will probably prompt the Reserve Bank of Australia to deliver a final 25bp rate hike next month, but unemployment will rise before long. The 53,000 rise in employment last month was much stronger than most had …
Fed uncertain about impact that banking turmoil will have on economy The minutes of the Fed’s mid-March policy meeting are, overall, arguably dovish since in the wake of the collapse of SVB and Signature Bank, “several participants noted that…they …
12th April 2023
GDP growth was probably flat in the UK in February (07.00 BST) Industrial production is likely to have risen in the euro-zone in February (10.00 BST) Catch up on today’s Drop-in on what the latest US inflation data mean for the Fed here Key Market Themes …
Sharp fall in inflation as base effects pass through Russian inflation fell sharply in March, to 3.5% y/y, as the surge in prices after the war started to fall out of the annual comparison. The 0.4% m/m increase suggests that price pressures generally …
Crude exports drop by a record amount Commercial crude stocks rose last week, owing to a record weekly fall in exports and small amounts were sold from strategic reserves. Meanwhile, implied demand for key petroleum products remains healthy for now, but …
The Bank of Canada delivered a mixed message today, noting that it is more confident inflation will decline in the next few months, but less confident that inflation will fall all the way to 2.0% as quickly as previously anticipated. Nonetheless, with the …
We expect a surge in completions and a slowdown in employment growth to push vacancy substantially higher in all markets over the next few years. That will slam the brakes on rental growth, causing an outright fall in several of the major markets as well …
The Bank of Canada delivered mixed messages today, noting that it is more confident that inflation will decline in the next few months but less confident that inflation will return to 2% as quickly as it previously anticipated. Nonetheless, with the …
We’re not convinced by the arguments currently doing the rounds that military spending in Russia artificially boosted GDP in a significant way last year. While military spending has increased further this year and manufacturing in military-oriented …
Core inflation remains elevated despite easing in shelter There were some encouraging signs in the March CPI report, including the first evidence that shelter inflation is slowing, but core prices still increased by 0.4% m/m which, on an annualised basis, …
Core inflation remains elevated despite easing in shelter There were some encouraging signs in the March CPI report, including the first evidence that housing cost inflation is slowing, but core prices still increased by 0.4% m/m which, on an annualised …
Headline CPI rate now likely to remain within target range The drop in headline consumer price inflation back to within the RBI’s 2-6% target range in March supports our view that the central bank’s hiking cycle has come to an end. Headline CPI inflation …
China’s Q1 “data dump” on 18 th April will provide the broadest take so far of the economy’s performance following the end of zero-COVID restrictions. Our China team held an online briefing shortly after the NBS release to discuss the quarterly GDP and …
Earthquakes take their toll on activity Turkish industrial production and retail sales figures for February showed that the impact of the earthquakes on the economy was larger than we and most others had anticipated. But we think this will be short-lived …
Japan has escaped the recent banking turmoil in the US and Switzerland relatively unscathed. While banks face some risks arising from their lending exposure overseas , there are no signs of liquidity stress. And unrealised losses on bonds are less of a …
