10Y Treasuries have underperformed 2Y Treasuries over recent months, bucking the usual pattern after the final Fed hike (if, as we think, the final hike was in July). But we think the stage is now set for 10Y Treasuries to outperform over the next year or …
27th September 2023
Strong immigration and the resilience of the housing market raise the chance that the economy will avoid recession but, with the Bank of Canada keeping further rate hikes on the table, we still judge that GDP will contract later this year. Even if …
Overview – Economic growth across Sub-Saharan Africa is likely to pick up over the coming quarters, but a challenging external environment means that balance of payments positions will remain under strain and fiscal and monetary policy will need to stay …
New York and LA see a decline in office jobs Total employment growth slowed slightly in August to 0.4% 3m/3m across the 30 metros we cover, once seasonally-adjusted. But office jobs in western cities have continued to decline as layoffs in the technology …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Easing cycle just around the corner The Czech National bank (CNB) left interest rates on hold again at 7.00% at today’s meeting, but we still think that an easing cycle will …
Equipment investment growth still set to slow The 0.2% m/m rise in durable goods orders in August was, at first glance, better than expected, but the outperformance was mainly due to a surge in defence aircraft orders. Admittedly, gains in core orders and …
From hope to reality to hype and hysteria. The rapid development and adoption of generative artificial intelligence may be keeping headline writers busy, but is there anything to their warnings about the technology’s roll-out leading to mass …
Emerging Asia Chart Pack (Sep. 2023) …
Overview – We expect the euro-zone economy to struggle over the next 18 months, and a mild recession in the coming quarters looks more likely than not. Lower energy prices and improved global supply chain conditions should keep headline inflation on a …
Overview – China’s economy is regaining some momentum after stalling for a brief period during the summer. A step up in policy support looks set to deliver a modest cyclical recovery but trend growth remains under pressure. Consumer Spending – …
Activity is holding up better than expected, while disinflation is stalling Another 25bp rate hike now seems more likely than not Policy easing pushed back to mid-2024 Stronger-than-expected GDP and inflation data should cement the case for the RBA to …
The latest euro-zone money and credit data show that tighter ECB policy is continuing to weigh on households’ and firms’ borrowing, as well as influencing what they do with their savings. The weakness in money and lending growth supports our view that the …
Final hike of the cycle The Bank of Thailand (BoT) today raised interest rates by a further 25bps (to 2.50%), but hinted this was likely to be the last hike of the cycle. With inflation below target and headwinds to the economic recovery mounting, we …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Resurgent price pressures raise risk of tighter policy With Australia’s disinflationary process stalling, there’s a growing risk that the Reserve Bank of Australia will resume …
We think that investors’ enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) will grow again next year and inflate a bubble in stock markets. This is just one of the many consequences that AI will have on the economy, in our view, as we discuss at length in our …
26th September 2023
Financial risks generally look quite low in most major EMs as current account deficits have narrowed this year and banking sectors remain in strong shape. But there are some areas of weakness, including large currency risks in parts of Eastern Europe …
This is an excerpt from our CE Spotlight series on AI. The whole series can be viewed here . A year ago, China was widely held to be a – perhaps the – global leader in AI. It has an online population larger than the US and Europe combined. Ubiquitous …
Softening demand proves a tipping point for new home sales The 8.7% m/m drop in New Home Sales in August was the largest monthly decline since September 2022 and suggests that the renewed rise in mortgage rates has caused home purchase demand to decline …
The Hungarian central bank (MNB) delivered another 100bp interest rate cut (to 13.00%) and simplified its monetary policy toolkit at today’s meeting, paving the way for the second phase of the easing cycle in the coming months. The hawkish tone of the …
Another dip in house prices this year unlikely after sixth consecutive rise The sixth consecutive rise in house prices in July showed that very tight supply is causing home prices to continue to rise despite sales volumes remaining weak, and suggests a …
Rising bankruptcy filings by large corporations are another reason to doubt that the economy will continue to grow at close to its potential rate, as the Federal Reserve now seems to believe. Admittedly, the bankruptcy data suggest that consumers and …
The more we read about AI’s potential economic consequences, the more it becomes clear that the current research fails to provide a coherent and consistent framework for understanding its whole impact. To that end, we are excited to be able to provide our …
The leisure sector is now feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, with rising vacancy and declining rents. But we don’t think the retail sector will follow in its footsteps. Households are likely to continue to shift spending away from expensive …
Overview – We expect another few quarters of near-zero GDP growth to lead to an annual gain of just 0.7% next year. Even with higher oil prices, the weakness of economic growth leaves scope for CPI inflation to fall back to the 2% target in 2024. That …
Capital Economics clients can download a complete pdf version of this report by clicking the download button top right. If you can't see a download option, please speak to your account manager. You can also explore the individual Spotlight chapters below: …
Overview – We expect most commodity prices to struggle over the rest of this year as developed economies flirt with recession, the US dollar remains strong and investor risk appetite moderates. That said, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Brent oil price …
Chapter 6: Blowing bubbles? AI's financial market implications …
Chapter 5: AI and the global economic order …
Chapter 4: The policy dilemmas from AI …
Chapter 3: AI, jobs and prices …
Chapter 2: AI's economic revolution …
Chapter 1: AI – What’s all the fuss about? …
AI, Economies and Markets: Executive summary …
Entering the second phase of the easing cycle The Hungarian central bank’s (MNB’s) decision to cut the top of its interest rate corridor, by 250bp, today is a first step in what is likely to be a shift in the monetary policy framework that will be …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Inflation data and minutes pour cold water on hopes for larger rate cuts The jump in Brazilian inflation to 5.0% y/y in the first half of September, taken together with the more …
The weakness in German construction activity has raised questions about whether a slowdown in new office supply could offset the weakness in demand and prevent a rise in vacancy. But we think that on balance it won’t be enough and that rental growth will …
The sharp slowdown in broad money growth since late last year suggests that higher interest rates are working by reducing households’ and firms’ demand for borrowing, which should lead to softer activity and lower inflation. This supports our view that a …
RBNZ to reassert its tightening bias as activity surprises on the upside Given the noise in the recent data, we don’t expect further rate hikes However, policy will remain restrictive for longer, with rate cuts only in Q3 2024 Although economic activity …
Another set of downbeat business surveys out of the euro-zone and an increasingly cautious tone from ECB officials have put the EUR/USD rate under renewed pressure. But more broadly market participants do not appear particularly downbeat on the prospects …
25th September 2023
Overview – After a sharp slowdown this year, GDP growth across the Middle East and North Africa will improve in 2024 as OPEC+ starts to raise its output quotas and high oil prices allow the Gulf economies to keep fiscal policy supportive. Outside of the …
Overview – With the economy showing signs of slowing and transaction volumes likely to stay low in H2 2023, a tough 6-12 months lies in store for commercial real estate. We still expect cap rates to rise on the back of higher Treasury yields, but the full …
Global steel production growth continues to struggle The slowdown in global steel production in August is consistent with our long-held view that slowing demand will weigh on production in the second half of this year. Weakening demand stems from slowing …
Overview – GDP growth across most of Emerging Asia has struggled over the past year and we expect growth to remain weak in the near term as tight monetary policy at home and subdued activity abroad weigh on demand. Next year should be a little better, but …
Investment in the green transition is unlikely to rise quickly enough this decade to help achieve net zero by 2050. But a greater focus on areas including renewables and electric vehicles will still probably push up investment’s share of global GDP by …
Given clearer signs of economic weakness in recent weeks, we think the surprise increase in underlying inflation pressures in August means the Bank of Canada is more likely to keep interest rates at their current level for longer than to raise rates …
Ifo points to renewed contraction in German GDP in Q3 The Ifo Business Climate Index (BCI) confirmed that the German economy remained in the doldrums in September. We continue to expect contractions in GDP in both Q3 and Q4 of this year. The small fall in …
This week marks the launch of our annual Spotlight report, which will land in client inboxes tomorrow. This year we are exploring the economic and market impact of artificial intelligence. As with any piece of analysis it’s useful to gauge what the market …
The abandonment of Yield Curve Control would probably prompt the Bank of Japan to reduce its bloated holdings of government bonds, which could push up long-term bond yields. However, there are good reasons to think that the fiscal consequences wouldn’t be …
The potential of artificial intelligence to reshape the global economy is more than just the breathless hype of headline writers. Paul Ashworth , our Chief North America Economist, explains why AI’s impact should be thought of in terms of previous …
22nd September 2023
