Malaysia heads to the polls on Saturday for a general election which, if the latest opinion polls are correct, will lead to a further period of unstable and fractured politics. This reduces the chances of meaningful economic reforms being passed and …
16th November 2022
Broad-based strength in labour market and inflation to prompt 75bp hike next week Rates to peak at 5.0% by April With inflation set to drop back, RBNZ will cut rates in late-2023 With the labour market and inflation going from strength to strength and …
The recent surge in rental growth to a record high has been widely reported, but the usual explanations are unsatisfactory. Population indicators don’t suggest a sudden rise in demand, and there is little evidence of landlords selling up. Instead, we …
Inflation may have peaked, but battle not yet won It’s possible that the big leap in CPI inflation from 10.1% in September to a new 40-year high of 11.1% in October will mark the peak. But core inflation may yet rise further, which is why we think the …
CPI inflation may have peaked, but inflation battle is not yet won It’s possible that the big leap in CPI inflation from 10.1% in September to a new 40-year high of 11.1% in October (consensus 10.7%, BoE 10.9%) will mark the peak. But core inflation may …
Wage growth will peak at 3.5% by mid-2023 Wage growth climbed above 3% in Q3 for the first time since 2013 and we expect it to climb further to 3.5% by the middle of next year. The 1.0% q/q rise in hourly wages excluding bonuses was above the analyst …
Losing streak has further to run Weakness in the manufacturing sector led to “core” machinery orders falling for a second consecutive month in September. Worse still, machine tool orders indicate that the two-month losing streak, rare as it is, hasn’t …
Imminent rebound in orders to be soft “Core” machinery orders fell for a second consecutive month in September due to weakness in manufacturing orders. While the usual see-saw patterns in orders point to a rebound that should materialise in October’s …
15th November 2022
Strong Q3 to be followed by sharp slowdown The stronger-than-expected 1.6% q/q expansion in Colombia’s GDP in Q3 took output further above its pre-pandemic trend and means that Colombia is on course to be a regional outperformer in 2022. That said, there …
Higher utility prices probably pushed UK CPI inflation higher in October (07.00 GMT) We think US retail sales increased by 1.3% last month… (13.30 GMT) … but we expect industrial production to have risen by a more-muted 0.2% (14.15 GMT) Key Market …
Even as Central London office vacancy rates rose to a 12-year peak in Q3, annual rental growth ticked-up to a three-year high. That marks a reversal from the situation prior to COVID-19, when a tight market failed to spark a strong rise in rents. But we …
This week’s G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, has so far exceeded low expectations. There is broad condemnation of the war in Ukraine and bilateral talks between China and the US seem to have been amicable. But with the meeting dominated by geopolitical …
Manufacturing sales volumes set to fall further Manufacturing sales volumes edged down in September and, with the business surveys continuing to weaken and inventory levels now looking unusually high, they are likely to fall further. We expect weaker …
Fresh upwards pressures pushing up inflation Data out of Nigeria showing a pick-up in inflation to 21.1% y/y in October offered little sign that price pressures are abating. And that’s before the effects of recent flooding and currency weakness have fully …
Recovery in sentiment won’t prevent recession The rebound in the ZEW and other sentiment indicators in November does not change the fact that the German economy is firmly headed for recession. The rise in the ZEW economic sentiment indicator from -59.2 …
A mixed performance in Q3, but recessions on the horizon Q3 GDP figures for Central and Eastern Europe were generally a bit better than we had expected, but pockets of weakness were beginning to emerge as the Czech and Hungarian economies both …
The eve of recession Euro-zone GDP growth slowed to just 0.2% q/q in Q3 and with all of the timelier surveys pointing downwards, the economy looks set to fall into recession in Q4. Nevertheless, surveys of firms’ hiring intentions suggest that the …
This webpage has been updated with additional analysis, table, and chart of key data. Inflation passed its peak Saudi inflation eased a touch from 3.1% y/y in September to 3.0% y/y in October (Consensus: 3.0% y/y; CE: 2.8% y/y) and we think the headline …
Although credit growth in advanced economies remained strong in September, it has largely been used to help economies cope with the effects from rising costs and inflation. But lending criteria is now tightening and demand for loans – particularly …
Labour market looks like it may be turning a corner September’s labour market figures reveal further signs that the labour market is becoming less tight. That may alleviate some of the pressure on the Bank of England to repeat November’s 75 basis point …
Rise in core inflation will keep Riksbank in hawkish mode Another bigger-than-expected increase in core inflation, to 7.9% in October, will keep the Riksbank focused on slowing demand when policymakers meet next week. We expect a further 75bp rate hike, …
Economy to continue struggling The October data point to a further loss of momentum, with retail sales dropping sharply amid worsening virus outbreaks. November is shaping up to be even worse. With exports cooling, the property sector still in the …
Technical recession looms in H1 2023 Japan’s economy contracted in Q3, with private consumption and business investment posting far weaker results than timelier data had suggested. Growth should turn positive in Q4, amid a rebound in inbound tourism and a …
Economy to rebound in Q4 after Q3 contraction Japan’s economy contracted in Q3, with both private consumption and business investment posting far weaker results than timelier data had suggested. The single largest drag was from net trade due mostly to a …
14th November 2022
OPEC supply drops but further falls to come OPEC’s monthly report for October showed a sharp drop in the group’s production, and further falls are likely if members are to abide by their new quotas from November. The OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report for …
We’re sticking with our view that the equity market rally will go into reverse as the world economy slips into a recession. Equities surged last week, boosted by a soft US CPI print . The ~5.5% gain in the S&P 500 on Thursday, for example, was its largest …
While Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro initially made a promising start to his tenure, his recent interventionist comments have led to a sharp sell-off in local financial markets. Regaining investors’ trust while navigating the economy through a period …
Activity data likely to show that China’s economy lost momentum last month… (02.00 GMT) …but we expect the PBOC to refrain from cutting its MLF rate tomorrow We think tightness in the UK labour market eased in September (07.00 GMT) Key Market Themes …
Romania’s current account deficit, which is among the largest in the EM world, has continued to widen this year and now exceeds 9% of GDP. It is reassuring that much of the deficit is currently being financed by relatively stable forms of capital inflows. …
Markets may have staged a meaty rally in the wake of the softer-than-expected October CPI print, but we’re not convinced the good times will last. Our latest Global Markets Outlook warns that a looming global recession means “risky” assets will struggle …
Bounce-back in lending not expected to last CRE lending saw a surprise uptick in growth in October following a rebound in the multifamily sector, although net lending remains below the average for this year. Despite the bounce-back this month, we still …
Prices pressures are moderating in earnest The substantial falls in both headline consumer and wholesale price inflation in October reinforce our view that the Reserve Bank will slow the pace of monetary tightening in its next scheduled policy meeting in …
We think the combination of subdued domestic activity and an economic downturn in most major economies will hurt demand for Chinese economic output in the coming months, prompting lower production and therefore import volumes of agricultural commodities. …
Resilience won’t last much longer The unexpected strength of euro-zone industrial production in September was largely due to the rebound in vehicles production and distortions affecting Ireland’s data. While vehicle output may continue to recover in the …
There’s a dirty secret at the heart of economics: economists – and by extension central banks – understand less about inflation dynamics than we would like to admit. Granted, we can model with reasonable accuracy what is likely to happen to fuel and …
Commodity prices surged late in the week on the back of a slump in the US dollar, a fall in US real yields and some easing of COVID-related restrictions in China. However, we doubt that this heralds the start of a renewed upturn in prices. The …
11th November 2022
We think economic activity was weak in China in October, but probably held up in the US We expect central banks in the Philippines and Indonesia to hike rates (Thu.) Clients can sign up here for our Drop-In on the UK Autumn Statement (Thu.) Key Market …
The dollar is set to end the week substantially lower, adding today to its broad-based weakness following the softer-than-expected US October CPI report . The data were in line with our view that inflation in the US economy is easing, and investors have …
Despite the recent sharp drop in the greenback, we doubt this is the end of the dollar bull market. Yesterday’s softer-than-expected US CPI print prompted the largest single-day drop in the DXY index since December 2015. Indeed, it was one of only a …
The global recession will drag on zinc consumption even further in the coming months, probably leading to renewed price declines. But, towards the end of 2023, supply concerns should push the price higher. Even though the price of zinc has risen recently, …
Sovereigns tap the dollar bond market Governments in Turkey and Poland made a splash this week as they announced rare dollar bond issues. Turkey appears to be taking advantage of low credit spreads but the decision in Poland follows recent concern among …
The news that the authorities in China plan to “optimise” their response to the pandemic while not abandoning their zero-COVID policy has coincided with a surge in its stock market. There is still a risk that this somewhat lighter-touch approach will lead …
Lula starting to show his true colours? Developments this week poured cold water on the rally in Brazil’s financial markets that followed Lula’s election victory. Comments from Lula himself yesterday suggesting that higher spending should be prioritised …
SA may have just avoided a technical recession The surprising strength of South Africa’s manufacturing data for September released this week has lengthened the odds that the economy was in a technical recession over Q2 and Q3. Figures released earlier …
Many of the Q3 GDP releases of early-reporting economies have beaten consensus expectations in the past few weeks, especially in Europe. Not only did energy-crisis-laden Germany grow in Q3, rather than contract as expected, but the economy managed to …
Sentiment buckles under weight of higher interest rates The drop back in the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index to a five-month low of 54.7 in November, from 59.9, appears to reflect the damage that higher interest rates are doing, …
Despite the rumours, the Chinese government isn't about to abandon zero-COVID. Although new measures to tweak the rules raise hopes of a near-term end to the draconian policy, Mark Williams and Julian Evans-Pritchard explain the many difficulties involved …
