Fed strikes back but activity data suggests it will cut rates before the end of next year Markets take fright at ECB’s hawkish comments and the prospect of quantitative tightening Despite a dovish tone, the BoE may yet hike rates much further Key …
15th December 2022
China’s authorities appear to have given up trying to manage the spread of COVID-19. If we’re right, the surge in infections underway in Beijing will spread rapidly across the country. As is happening now in the capital, many people will stay at home if …
New listings fell in November but, because they are taking longer to sell, the inventory of homes for sale continued to rise. That is one reason to expect house prices to fall further, particularly if lenders fail to pass on the decline in wholesale …
Today’s 50bp rate hike came alongside hawkish comments which are consistent with our view that the deposit rate will peak at 3%, significantly higher than the consensus forecast and a touch above what was priced into the market. The press release also …
Consumer resilience starting to fade The 0.6% m/m falls in retail sales and manufacturing output in November suggest that the economy has lost some serious momentum, with the resilience of consumers to much higher interest rates starting to crumble. …
Further signs that economy is losing momentum The 0.6% drop in manufacturing output last month matches the already-reported decline in retail sales and provides further evidence that the economy has lost some serious momentum. With weak global growth and …
This is part of a series of reports outlining our key macro and market calls for 2023. Click here to view the full series. Our latest Global Economic Outlook can be found here . Our 2023 prognosis may be a gloomy one, but there are reasons to expect …
The Bank of England followed the Fed by slowing the pace of interest rate hikes from 75 basis points (bps) in November to 50bps hike today as widely expected, which took rates from 3.00% to 3.50%. But unlike the hawkish Fed, the Bank sounded a touch …
This is part of a series of reports outlining our key macro and market calls for 2023. Click here to view the full series. Property markets rebounded strongly after 2020, in part boosted by favourable structural shifts brought on by the pandemic. But …
Is the CBE eyeing up another surprise meeting? The IMF’s Executive Board meet on Friday to approve Egypt’s deal, and there are rumours the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) could meet today to deliver a surprise aggressive interest rate hike. The CBE is …
Consumer resilience starting to fade The 0.6% m/m fall in retail sales in November suggests that the resilience of consumers to much higher interest rates is starting to crumble. Solid gains in previous months mean real consumption growth should still be …
More ECB rate hikes to come Today’s 50bp rate hike came alongside hawkish comments which are consistent with our view that the deposit rate will peak at 3%, significantly higher than the consensus forecast and a touch above what was priced into the …
Easing off the brakes, but hikes may not halt until rates hit 4.50% The Bank of England followed the Fed by slowing the pace of interest rate hikes from 75bps in November to a 50bps hike today as widely expected, which took rates from 3.00% to 3.50%. But …
This is part of a series of reports outlining our key macro and market calls for 2023. Click here to view the full series. Our latest EM Outlook can be found here . EMs will experience one of the broadest slowdowns in GDP growth in 2023 since the 1990s. …
The SNB’s 50bp rate hike, to 1.00%, was in line with expectations but, more importantly, the Bank also raised its medium-term inflation forecast slightly, hinting that policymakers believe future hikes may be needed. We now think a further 25bp rate …
Unabating price pressures to put policymakers in a bind November inflation data out of Nigeria came in stronger than expected, with the headline rate picking up to 21.5% y/y and price pressures increasing in m/m terms as well. Together with our …
This is part of a series of reports outlining our key macro and market calls for 2023. Click here to view the full series. Our latest Asset Allocation Outlook can be found here . Two of the three topics we expect to dominate the global macroeconomic …
Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) today raised its main policy rate by 12.5bps (to 1.75%) but with inflation easing and growth set to struggle, we expect this hike to have marked an end to the tightening cycle. Today’s decision was in line with expectations. Of …
Today’s 25bp rate increase by the Norges Bank, to 2.75%, takes it very close to the end of its tightening cycle. But we think the Bank is a long way from pivoting to loosening policy. At its meeting in November, the Bank signalled that it would raise …
This report has been updated with additional analysis, table and chart of key figures. Inflation on the way down Saudi inflation ticked down to 2.9% y/y in November on the back of a drop in food inflation. We think the headline rate will continue to fall …
The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) today raised its main policy rate by 50bps (to 5.50%), but with Governor Felipe Medalla sounding more dovish than expected on inflation, we think the tightening cycle will be over soon. The decision was exactly in …
SNB hikes by 50bp, hints at more to come The SNB’s 50bp rate hike, to 1.00%, was in line with expectations but, more importantly, the Bank also raised its medium-term inflation forecast slightly, hinting that policymakers believe future hikes may be …
Norges Bank tightening nearly over, but pivot a long way off Today’s 25bp rate increase by the Norges Bank, to 2.75%, takes it very close to the end of its tightening cycle. But we think the Bank is a long way from pivoting to loosening policy. The …
End of the tightening cycle Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) today raised its main policy rate by 12.5bps (to 1.75%) but with inflation easing and growth set to struggle we expect this hike to have marked an end to the tightening cycle. Today’s decision was in …
The strikes in December won’t help the economy when it is probably already in recession. But we think real GDP may only be around 0.0-0.5% lower in December than otherwise. More important may be larger pay rises on the back of the strikes possibly …
Tightening cycle nearing an end The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) today raised its main policy rate by a further 50bps (to 5.50%), but with Governor Felipe Medalla sounding more dovish than expected on inflation, we think the tightening cycle will …
The downturn has deepened and reopening won’t reverse it overnight The disruption from virus outbreaks intensified in November, with retail sales, investment spending and industrial output all contracting by the most month-on-month since the Shanghai …
Labour market strength won’t last much longer With employment jumping in November, the labour market is still tightening, The upshot is that the RBA will hike rates more sharply than most anticipate over the coming months. The 64,000 rise in employment in …
Export downturn will start before long While the trade deficit narrowed sharply in November, most of that reflects falling import prices. Export volumes seem to hold up well but with the global downturn weighing on external demand next year, export growth …
Labour market strength won’t last much longer The continued strength in Australia’s labour market is consistent with our view that the RBA will hike rates more sharply than most anticipate over the coming months. The 64,000 rise in employment in November …
Exports downturn has begun The trade deficit narrowed substantially in November and has further scope to do so again in December. But with the global downturn weighing on external demand next year, further progress towards a more balanced goods trade …
14th December 2022
Growth burst will turn into slump next year The huge jump in Q3 GDP will prompt the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to press ahead with another 75bp hike in February, adding to our conviction that a recession lies ahead . The 2.0% q/q jump in production GDP …
Economy will fall into recession in 2023 The huge jump in Q3 GDP will prompt the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to press ahead with another 75bp hike in February, adding to our conviction that a sharp downturn lies ahead. The 2.0% q/q in production GDP was …
Despite the increasingly compelling evidence that core inflation will fall sharply next year, the Fed doubled down on its hawkishness today. We now expect two 25bp hikes from the Fed next year, with the fed funds rate peaking at 4.75% to 5.00% in …
As several forecasters now seem to share our view that the economy will suffer a moderate recession next year, in this Update we discuss the risks that could result in a much deeper downturn. The key risk is that economists are underestimating the impact …
The Fed strikes back Despite the increasingly compelling evidence that core inflation will fall sharply next year, the Fed simply doubled down on its recent hawkishness. As expected, the Fed issued an identical statement and raised interest rates by a …
Bumper rise in crude stocks, little in the details to explain it While this week’s report revealed a whopping increase in commercial stocks, prices were up a little following the release. Instead, most attention is on the latest oil demand forecasts …
We expect the Fed to slow the pace of rate hikes to 50bp later today (19.00 GMT) The BoE will probably also slow tightening and hike by 50bp on Thursday… (12.00 GMT) … and we think the ECB will follow suit with a 50bp increase too (13.15 GMT) Key Market …
A widening of Russia’s budget deficit next year to 2.5% of GDP will increase pressure on the government to keep a firm grip on non-military spending. But it should be able to finance the shortfall from its savings and domestic bond issuance. The bigger …
Office rental growth in London and RoUK was similar in the third quarter. But as the recession takes hold London firms will have a greater incentive, and opportunity, to make savings from the shift to working from home. That will cut demand just as a …
A fall in mortgage rates from 20-year highs supported the first rise in home purchase demand in eight months in November. Given that mortgage rates are likely to continue to trend lower from here, sales should soon bottom out. But the big picture is …
Sales volumes continue to struggle The strong rise in manufacturing sales in October was largely due to a jump in refined petroleum prices. Manufacturing sales volumes were unchanged and the business surveys point to outright falls ahead. The 2.8% m/m …
Peru ’s newly-inaugurated President Boluarte’s call to bring forward the next general election to 2024 has failed to pacify protesters who took to the streets following the impeachment of President Castillo last week. The unrest is already causing …
Click here to read the full report. Overview – Property yields have risen on the back of higher interest rates and have started to drag materially on values. We expect this to continue in 2023, as valuations are still highly stretched. Given downgrades to …
OPEC lowers its oil demand forecasts for H1 2023 OPEC lowered its world oil demand forecasts for the next six months yesterday, but raised its demand forecasts for the following six months. This supports our view that the cut to OPEC+ output quotas from …
Economy lost momentum at the start of Q4 October’s hard activity data out of South Africa showed the economy’s strong performance in Q3 did not last into Q4. Industrial sectors, in particular, faltered. As headwinds mount, we expect a sharp slowdown. …
October’s fall in output sets the tone for a bleak Q4 Industrial production in the euro-zone declined by 2.0% m/m in October with all the largest economies showing a reduction in output. While output held up better than we had expected in Q3, this is …