This page has been updated with additional analysis Inflation unchanged and set to stay low Swiss headline inflation remained unchanged in October at 1.7% and although the core rate rose for the first time in eight months we expect inflation to stay below …
2nd November 2023
Despite the sharp downward pressure on the ringgit, Malaysia’s central bank (BNM) left policy rates unchanged (at 3.0%) today. We expect the central bank to keep the policy rate on hold for the rest of this year and throughout 2024. The decision was …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Drag from net trade will be offset by boost from stockbuilding The slump in the trade balance in September increases the risk that the Australian economy entered a recession in …
Retail sales continue to boom as industry comes off the boil Russian retail sales continued to expand at a strong clip in September, but industrial production growth was less impressive. Higher interest rates and inflation will weigh on activity in the …
1st November 2023
Fed’s tightening bias likely to be dropped soon By leaving rates unchanged while continuing to flag the possibility of further tightening to come, the Fed indicated today that it remains in ‘wait and see’ mode. But we suspect the data over the coming …
Office-based jobs at a stand-still for first time in three years September’s employment growth was below the average for 2023 thus far, recording 0.4% 3m/3m across our 30 covered metros once seasonally-adjusted. Meanwhile, office-based jobs remained …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Manufacturing recovery fizzling out The surprise slump in the ISM manufacturing index to 46.7 in October, from 49.0, suggests the recent recovery in factory-sector activity is …
PMI signals weak start to Q4 South Africa’s manufacturing PMI recorded a fresh fall again in October, signalling that the economy made a poor start to Q4. We expect growth to remain sluggish over the coming quarters as weak demand conditions outweigh any …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Another mixed bag of PMIs The manufacturing PMIs across Emerging Europe for October suggest that industrial activity in Russia remained resilient last month, while industrial …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Early sign of manufacturing activity losing momentum The manufacturing PMI survey for October suggests that activity lost some momentum at the start in Q4. We think that the …
House prices confound expectations The large increase in house prices in October was a massive surprise given higher mortgage rates should be severely restricting the number of people able to buy and the amount they can spend. But at present, stretched …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. RBNZ to hold the line as labour market continues to slacken With the balance of demand and supply in the labour market showing further improvement, we’re more convinced than ever …
31st October 2023
Surge in house prices continues Another large gain in house prices in August suggests that the extremely limited supply of existing homes for sale continued to outweigh high mortgage rates. We think monthly gains in house prices will soften over the …
Sharper slowdown in wage growth still lies ahead The slightly stronger 1.1% increase in the employment cost index in the third quarter is another sign that the earlier rapid easing in labour market conditions may be fading, but the forward-looking …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. The surprise stagnation in August and preliminary estimate that GDP was unchanged again in September imply that third-quarter GDP probably edged down by 0.1% annualised, marking …
Another solid quarter, but slowdown awaits Mexico’s economy posted solid growth of 0.9% q/q in Q3, but we still think a slowdown is on the cards over the coming quarters as tight monetary policy takes a heavier toll and weaker growth in the US weighs on …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Inflation falling as economy flat-lines The euro-zone economy contracted in Q3 and the continued weakness of the surveys at the start of Q4 suggests that the outlook is poor. …
This page has been updated with additional analysis and charts since first publication. Economy narrowly avoids another contraction Hong Kong’s economy largely treaded water in Q3, underperforming most expectations. A jump in investment and a pick-up in …
Recession deepens on the back of voluntary oil production cut Saudi Arabia’s flash GDP estimate showed that the recession deepened in Q3, with GDP contracting by 3.9% q/q, after the Kingdom implemented an additional voluntary 1mn bpd oil output cut and …
Sharp fall in inflation, another interest rate cut incoming The drop in Polish inflation to 6.5% y/y in October was larger than expected and should pave the way for another 25bp interest rate cut by the central bank next week (to 5.50%). The decline from …
Czech economy flirting with recession again The 0.3% q/q decline in Czech GDP in Q3 was worse than expected, and suggests that the economy will probably contract over the year as a whole. This weakness in the economy also increases the likelihood that the …
Economic growth in Taiwan accelerated sharply in Q3, driven primarily by a jump in exports. However, we don’t think the strength of the recovery will last – we expect growth to slow over the next two quarters due to renewed weakness in external demand and …
Narrowly avoiding recession The slowdown in French GDP growth from an upwardly-revised +0.6% q/q in Q2 to only 0.1% in Q3 (see Chart 1) was a little better than the consensus and our own forecast (+0.1% and -0.2% q/q) and means GDP was 1.8% larger than …
We are resending this publication because it was incorrectly sent as a Japan Economics Update. Note: We'll be discussing h ow much of a threat are surging bond yields to Asia’s economies in our Asia Drop-in today, 31st October. Register here to join the …
Note: We'll be discussing h ow much of a threat are surging bond yields to Asia’s economies in our Asia Drop-in today, 31st October. Register here to join the online briefing. Bank of Japan will tighten policy further next year The Bank of Japan today de …
Note: We'll be discussing h ow much of a threat are surging bond yields to Asia’s economies in our Asia Drop-in today, 31st October. Register here to join the online briefing. This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. …
30th October 2023
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Sentiment ticks up, recovery slowing taking shape The European Commission's Economic Sentiment Indicators for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) were another mixed bag in October, …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Economy struggling, labour market coming off the boil, price pressures easing October’s business and consumer survey from the European Commission added to the evidence that the …
Net lending to property totaled £132mn in September, the lowest amount since February. But looking through the monthly volatility, on a 3-month basis lending has totaled more than £1.5bn in every month since March. That compares to an average of £620m …
Approvals bottom out, but will remain low The drop in mortgage approvals in September left them a third below their usual level in the years leading up to the pandemic as high mortgage rates put homeowners off moving and priced many first-time buyers out …
Note: We’ll be discussing the latest Fed, ECB and Bank of England policy decisions in a Drop-In at 3pm GMT on Thursday 2 nd November . (Register here .) This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Drag on lending and …
“Sick” German economy slipping back into recession The small decline in German GDP in the third quarter and upward revision to the previous two quarters means the economy is not doing quite as poorly as anticipated. But GDP has essentially been stagnant …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Pause in the recession Preliminary data released this morning show that the Swedish economy flatlined in Q3 (0.0% q/q) after contracting sharply in the second quarter (-0.8%). …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Surge in retail sales bolsters case for policy tightening With Australia’s retail recession likely having ended last quarter, it’s all but certain that the Reserve Bank of …
Stronger rise in core prices likely to be a blip The stronger gains in real consumption and the core PCE price index in September are a potential concern for Fed officials, but won’t be enough to convince them to resume raising interest rates next week, …
27th October 2023
CBR delivers a larger hike as fiscal risks mount Russia’s central bank (CBR) opted for a larger-than-expected 200bp interest rate hike, to 15.00%, at today’s meeting and, while policymakers seemed to signal that the tightening cycle is at an end, we think …
Economy still growing but set to weaken GDP data for Spain in Q3 were a bit stronger than expected and showed that the economy was proving more resilient in the face of high interest rates than anticipated. But the outlook is still weak. The 0.3% q/q …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Underlying inflation set to decline further While the jump in inflation in Tokyo to a seven-month high wasn’t nearly as bad as it looks, it is consistent with our view that …
US households still the world’s spenders of last resort On its own, the stunningly-strong 4.9% annualised gain in third-quarter GDP suggests that the Fed needs to do even more to slow demand, but just as notable was the slowdown in core PCE inflation to …
26th October 2023
ECB policy rates at a plateau Today’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged, and the tone of the press release, were as expected. There is no mention of ending PEPP reinvestments early or raising banks’ reserve requirements, but in the press …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Copom on course for another 50bp cut next week The Brazilian mid-month inflation figure for October, of 5.0% y/y, confirms that the recent rise in inflation has now passed its …
CBRT maintaining the fight against inflation Turkey’s central bank stuck to the course today as it delivered another 500bp interest rate hike, to 35%. A few more large hikes are likely to be delivered in the coming months too, which should help to turn …
The central bank (BSP) in the Philippines today raised its main policy rate by 25 bps (to 6.50%) in an out-of-cycle interest rate decision. While we had expected an interest rate hike at the upcoming scheduled meeting in mid-November, today’s out of cycle …
Economic growth in Korea was stronger than expected in Q3 but we think the economy is set to weaken in the near term as support from external demand fades while tight fiscal and monetary policy continue to curtail domestic demand. According to the advance …
Bank maintains tightening bias but next move likely to be a cut Although the Bank of Canada maintained its tightening bias today, the rest of the policy statement suggests that the Bank is growing more confident that its job is done. We continue to expect …
25th October 2023
New home sales resume upward trend Extraordinarily limited supply in the existing homes market continued to drive buyers to new homes in September. The 12.4% m/m rise in new home sales in September took them to 759,000 annualised (consensus 680,000), …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. German economy still contracting The small rise in the Ifo Business Climate Index (BCI) in October still left the index in contractionary territory, echoing the downbeat message …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. RBA to hike again as inflation surprises on the upside With price pressures being slower to abate than the RBA had anticipated, we think the Bank will deliver one final 25bp …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication . Pick-up in services inflation to keep Banxico in hawkish mood The fall in Mexico’s headline inflation rate to a 31-month low of 4.3% y/y in the first half of October masked a …
24th October 2023
