GDP growth will come to a standstill next year The decent rise in Q3 GDP probably marks the last hurrah for Australia’s economy as tighter monetary policy and falling real incomes weigh on spending. The 0.6% q/q increase in Q3 GDP was a touch weaker than …
7th December 2022
Export volumes struggling despite boost from agricultural sector The essentially unchanged level of export volumes in October, despite a big boost from higher agricultural exports, suggests that the sector is beginning to struggle amid weaker external …
6th December 2022
Deficit widens on shift in pharmaceutical trade The trade deficit widened to $78.2bn in October, from $74.1bn, as the weakness in global demand began to weigh on exports, which declined by $1.9bn. At the same time, imports increased by 2.4bn, as a further …
RBA not backing away from rate hikes just yet The RBA today hiked the cash rate by 25bp as widely anticipated and while the statement was marginally less hawkish, we’re sticking to our view that the Bank will lift rates to 3.85% by April. The Bank’s …
Regular earnings growth to maintain quicker pace Labour cash earnings increased by a slower 1.8% in October due mostly to a much smaller gain in volatile bonus payments. Regular earnings held steady due to high inflation and the boost from the reopening, …
5th December 2022
Activity still holding up, for now The rebound in the ISM services index to 56.5 in November, from 54.4, leaves it consistent with the recent consumption data in pointing to decent activity growth in the fourth quarter. But we suspect that resilience will …
This page has been updated with additional analysis and chart. Gulf non-oil sectors ending 2022 on a strong note November’s batch of PMIs provide further evidence that the non-oil sectors in the Gulf economies are rounding off the year on a strong …
Unemployment rate declines despite slowdown in hiring The slowdown in hiring in November was not enough to prevent a renewed decline in the unemployment rate, as the labour force contracted. The Bank of Canada will be more encouraged by the fall in the …
2nd December 2022
Strength in employment & wages won’t prevent Fed from slowing rate hike pace The resilience of the labour market and the resurgence in wage pressures don’t change our view that core price inflation is going to fall more rapidly than the Fed believes, and …
Index slips below the 50 mark The decline in the ISM manufacturing index to 49.0 in November, the lowest reading since the early stages of the pandemic, from 50.2, leaves it at a level consistent with a stagnation in broader economic growth. The decline …
1st December 2022
Real consumption boosted by motor vehicle rebound The strong 0.5% m/m increase in real spending in October illustrates that consumers are not buckling under the weight of higher interest rates, at least not yet. That gain follows a 0.3% m/m increase in …
More signs of weakness in industry The Caixin manufacturing PMI edged up in November but remained weak. Taken together with the official survey published yesterday, the surveys suggest that downward pressure on industrial activity intensified last month. …
Strength in business investment won’t last Private investment probably rebounded last quarter and while firms’ projections at face value point to a further acceleration over the remainder of the financial year, the figures are consistent with a slowdown …
Peak headline inflation won’t stop ECB hiking Euro-zone headline inflation may now be past its peak but with core inflation unchanged in November and likely to stay well above 2% throughout next year, we expect the ECB to press on with another 50bp or …
30th November 2022
Thailand: gradual tightening cycle to continue The Bank of Thailand hiked interest rates today by a further 25bps (to 1.25%), and reiterated that it is likely to continue to tighten policy gradually over the coming months. The decision was correctly …
COVID disruptions deliver a further hit to activity The official PMIs add further evidence of another large blow to services activity as virus disruptions intensified this month. The hit to industry looks to have been more modest. But downside risks …
Inflation may peak below 8% in Q4 We wouldn’t read too much into the drop in the Monthly CPI Indicator in October because the figures don’t cover the entire CPI basket, but the data suggest that inflation is about to peak. Headline inflation dropped …
Production to rebound in last two months of 2022 Industrial production saw a steeper contraction in October but firms' output forecasts for November and December point to a rebound. Industrial production contracted by a sharper 2.6% m/m in October, …
Domestic demand contracts for first time since 2021 The stronger-than-expected gain in third-quarter GDP tips the odds slightly toward another 50 bp interest rate hike from the Bank of Canada next week. But, with domestic demand contracting for the first …
29th November 2022
Small improvement in sentiment and fall in headline inflation The small increase in the EC Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) for November suggests that prospects for the euro-zone economy are no longer deteriorating. While we still expect a recession, it …
Higher interest rates are weighing on credit and attracting savings October’s money and credit figures reveal further signs that households continue to remain cautious and higher interest rates are starting to weigh on the economy. The £0.8bn rise in …
Soaring inflation weighing on retail sales Retail sales values barely grew in October from September and soaring inflation points to risks that growth will remain muted this quarter. Growth in retail sales values slowed sharply from 1.5% m/m to 0.2% m/m …
Halt to labour market tightening as recession looms The unemployment rate stayed unchanged in August and will hover around 2.5% through 2023 due to a looming economic recession. The job-to-applicant ratio rose from 1.34 to 1.35, the highest it has been …
28th November 2022
RBA to keep hiking for now despite slowdown in consumption Following eight consecutive rises since the start of the year, the decline in retail sales in October isn’t a disaster. A fall in sales volumes across Q4 now looks very likely but we suspect that …
Tokyo prices point to further rises in nationwide inflation Headline inflation in the capital set a new three-decade high in November on aggressive rises in food inflation excluding fresh food and industrial goods inflation. The upshot is that nationwide …
24th November 2022
ECB account gives little away on next steps There are no significant clues in the account of the ECB’s October meeting about the pace and extent to which the Bank will raise interest rates in December and next year. A 50bp hike seems most likely next …
CBRT final act? Turkey’s central bank (CBRT) delivered another 150bp interest rate cut, to 9.00%, at today’s meeting and suggested that this marked the end of the easing cycle. We’ll take the CBRT for its word but there is clearly a risk that President …
Small improvement in business climate won’t prevent recession The increase in the Ifo Business Climate Index in November does not change the big picture that the German economy is likely to contract in Q4. November’s uptick in the Business Climate Index …
Tightening cycle not yet finished This morning’s 75bp increase in the Riksbank’s policy rate was in line with the consensus and market expectations while the press statement is consistent with our view that policymakers will raise rates to a peak of …
The Bank of Korea today raised interest rates by a further 25bps (to 3.25%), but with growth slowing and inflation easing, we think there is a good chance this marks the end of the central bank’s tightening cycle. Today’s decision came as little surprise …
Downbeat readings reinforce 2023 recession narrative November’s flash PMIs point to further weakness in the manufacturing sector, corroborating other data. At the same time, services activity appears to be struggling under the weight of rising inflation. …
How many is “various”? The minutes of the Fed’s early-November policy meeting suggest that although most officials were in favour of slowing the pace of rate hikes at upcoming meetings, there was no consensus on how high the peak in rates would ultimately …
23rd November 2022
Equipment investment refusing to roll over despite surging rates The solid 1.0% m/m rise in durable goods orders in October indicates that business equipment investment continues to hold up reasonably well in the face of higher borrowing costs, helped by …
PMIs suggest we’re already in recession While the composite flash PMI improved marginally in November, it stayed firmly below the no-change level of 50.0, which is consistent with our view that the economy is probably already in recession. The composite …
Contraction in Q4 very likely, inflation nearing a peak The flash PMIs for November add to the evidence that the economy will contract in Q4, with the downturn in the services sector intensifying. The price indices suggest that inflation will soon peak, …
RBNZ will hike rates above 5.0% The Reserve Bank of New Zealand hiked the overnight cash rate by 75bp as most had anticipated and it now seems likely that rates will peak closer to 5.5% instead of our current forecast of 5.0%. The statement was very …
MNB hasn’t won its inflation battle yet Hungary’s central bank (MNB) left its base rate on hold today, at 13.00%, for a second consecutive meeting and reaffirmed that it would continue to use its “market stabilisation” tools to defend the forint. With …
22nd November 2022
Energy price support puts borrowing back on upward trend October’s public finances figures showed that government borrowing is no longer coming in below last year’s monthly totals. And the combination of the government’s energy price support and pressures …
Growth to hold up (relatively) well Thailand’s economy accelerated in the third quarter on the back of strong consumer spending and investment activity. Although the global downturn and higher interest rates will weigh on prospects, we expect growth to …
21st November 2022
Boost from reversal of bank holiday effects won’t last The 0.6% m/m rise in retail sales volumes (consensus +0.2% m/m, CE 0.0% m/m) was probably supported by the reversal of bank holiday effects in October. But, given that the high inflation that weighed …
18th November 2022
Bank of Japan to maintain policy despite soaring inflation Headline inflation remained set a new three-decade high in October and will remain near those highs this quarter. That said, the Bank of Japan will remain steadfast in maintaining its ultra-easy …
17th November 2022
Chancellor satisfies the markets and helps the economy when it needs it The £55bn (2.0% of GDP) tightening in fiscal policy announced today by the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, appears to have been enough to satisfy the financial markets. What’s more, he’s …
More hikes coming in Indonesia Bank Indonesia (BI) today raised interest rates by a further 50bps (to 5.25%) and we think further hikes are likely as the central bank looks to support the rupiah and clamp down on inflation. While a rate hike today was …
Further hikes likely in the near term, but tightening cycle to be over by early next year The central bank of the Philippines (BSP) today raised its main policy rate by a further 75bps (to 5.0%), and we think further tightening is likely in the near term. …
Yen rally to help narrow trade deficit The trade deficit widened but stayed below the record high in August, but with the yen strengthening significantly in recent weeks, the deficit should narrow later this quarter. Export values rose by a slower 25.3% …
Manufacturing close to stagnation In contrast to the earlier news of consumer resilience, there are signs of a deterioration in the manufacturing sector, with output rising by only 0.1% in October, September’s gain cut from 0.4% to 0.2%, and downward …
16th November 2022
Core inflation pressures better than they look Headline inflation was unchanged at 6.9% in October and the CPI-median and CPI-trim measures of core inflation increased, but the latter was mainly due to unfavourable base effects. It appears that the …
Consumer refuses to buckle under weight of higher borrowing costs The US consumer is hanging in there under the weight of rapidly rising borrowing costs, with retail sales increasing by a solid 1.3% m/m in October. Admittedly, sales last month were …
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 …
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 …
