With the vast majority of mortgage borrowers protected by fixed rates, it is not a surprise that the early delinquency rate has risen only marginally since the start of the year. And our forecasts for real incomes to recover and the unemployment rate to …
24th August 2022
One left-field option for alleviating Europe’s gas crisis that has been doing the rounds is the potential for asking Norway to discount the price of its gas exports. This Update looks at eight key questions on the topic. In short, an agreement would …
We expect the PBOC to follow its recent policy rate cuts with further easing over the months ahead. This informs our decision to lower our forecasts for China’s 10-year government bond yield. But we don’t think further rate cuts, of the scale we …
We have revised up our forecasts of the European natural gas price due to the scale of Russia’s supply cuts and the likelihood that these are permanent. Prices should ease back in 2023 as Europe imports more LNG and demand falls, but we think they will …
France’s low energy inflation rate relative to those of its neighbours reflects government policies that have limited the increase in retail prices even as wholesale prices have risen. This will contain the hit to household spending, but at a …
Soaring electricity and gas prices will help lift inflation above 3% by year-end. But with that boost unlikely to be sustained, the Bank of Japan won’t see a need to tighten monetary policy. The surge in food prices and the fading drag from last May’s …
If the slump in China’s property sector continues for much longer, Australia’s export revenue would take a hit as iron ore prices tumble. But there are good reasons to think that the impact on aggregate demand would be smaller than many anticipate . Our …
August’s flash PMIs suggest that activity has weakened considerably, and, at face value, suggest that both the US and euro-zone have fallen into recession. What’s more, the forward-looking components of the PMIs point to further falls in output ahead. The …
23rd August 2022
Angola’s elections on Wednesday may be more competitive than ever before, but the ruling party’s decades-long hold on power is unlikely to come to an end. Assuming President Lourenço secures another term, the economy will probably slip back to a …
Prime central London (PCL) house prices have underperformed even disappointing wider London trends over recent years. But the latest data have been more encouraging and with prime buyers less exposed to rising interest rates and the cost-of-living …
It’s clear in hindsight that the Bank of England kept monetary policy too loose for too long during the recovery from the pandemic. But that does not mean that the mandate given to it by the government requires change. In fact, making radical changes to …
For most major euro-zone countries the terms of trade shock from higher gas prices this year will be bigger than both the 1974 and 1979 oil shocks. How this plays out in the coming months depends on many factors and will vary between countries – but …
Bank Indonesia (BI) hiked interest rates by 25bp to 3.75% today, and the hawkish commentary from the press conference increases the risk that the Bank will tighten policy further this year. Today’s decision came as a surprise. Of the 27 analysts …
Recent national accounts data show that many of the major EMs experienced a difficult second quarter . Looking ahead, a combination of weaker global demand, high inflation and rising interest rates is set to weigh on the outlook over the coming months. …
22nd August 2022
The Bank of Israel stepped up its tightening cycle with a 75bp interest rate hike, to 2.00%, today as it became more concerned about the strength of inflation. Our previously-hawkish view for interest rates to reach 3.0% now looks timid and we think a …
Weakness in the US economy over the coming quarters is likely to result in softer (rather than a collapse in) demand for Mexico’s goods exports as supply constraints fade, but the recovery in the tourism sector will probably grind to a halt and capital …
Today’s reductions to both the one-year and five-year Loan Prime Rates (LPR) continue the PBOC’s efforts to support the faltering economy. We expect additional easing to follow in the coming months, but policymakers still appear reluctant to engineer a …
In addition to revealing that higher interest rates had barely affected household and corporate finances, national accounts data for Q1 suggested that, with the exception of households in a handful of medium-sized economies, private sectors are …
19th August 2022
Despite the broad-based rebound over the past month or so, we expect deteriorating risk sentiment to put renewed pressure on most emerging market (EM) currencies before long. This Update zeroes in on which EM currencies are most vulnerable to large falls. …
Despite its recent resurgence, we still expect the S&P 500 to fall over the remainder of this year. The S&P 500 has continued to add to its gains this month . It is now more than 15% above its mid-June trough, and has unwound more than half of the losses …
Materials and labour shortages are weighing on construction activity and, although those headwinds may ease over the rest of the year, tighter monetary policy is likely to cause activity to fall. The latest surveys are consistent with the sector …
Turkey’s central bank stepped up its fight against economic orthodoxy by cutting its one-week repo rate by 100bp, to 13.00%, despite the backdrop of inflation at 80% and an extremely poor external position. This latest move could prove to be the trigger …
18th August 2022
Following today’s decision by the Norges Bank to raise its policy rate by 50bp at the second consecutive meeting, we now expect the Bank to make it a hat-trick of 50bp hikes at the next meeting in September. With price pressures looking strong, further …
The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) today raised its policy rate by a further 50bps to 3.75%, and gave a strong indication that more rate hikes are likely over the coming months. That said, with inflation set to peak soon and headwinds to the …
China’s post-Omicron rebound has fizzled out and the prospects for near-term growth are poor. Virus outbreaks are happening with increasing frequency. The housing market remains in a downward spiral. And exports look set to drop back before long. To make …
We think the macroeconomic backdrop that we envisage is consistent with certain “defensive” sectors of the S&P 500 – utilities, healthcare and consumer staples – outperforming over the rest of this year. Notwithstanding its rebound over the past few …
17th August 2022
A mixed performance, with Poland getting the wrong headlines GDP in Hungary and Romania continued to expand strongly in Q2 by 1-2% q/q, but the Czech and Slovakian economies barely grew at all and there was a shocking 2.3% q/q contraction in Poland. …
The robust 1.5% q/q rise in Colombia’s GDP in Q2 suggests that the economy’s recovery will be among the strongest in the region this year. Strong growth, alongside upside inflation surprises and the fragile external position mean that the central bank’s …
The resignation of Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) Governor Tarek Amer points to a growing tension within policymaking circles on the best way to address the country’s external imbalances. We think the next governor will ultimately need to let the pound …
Aggregate EM inflation came in at its highest rate since 2008 last month, but there are signs that it is starting to stabilise and it should fall back in the coming months. For central banks in Emerging Europe and Latin America that have already hiked …
The RBNZ lifted the overnight cash rate by 50bp to 3% today as everyone had anticipated and signaled that it will deliver another 50bp hike in October. We now expect the Bank to hike rates to a peak of 4% instead of our previous forecast of 3.5%, but we …
The latest figures suggest that Build to Rent (BTR) investment has continued to expand rapidly. Despite this trend, which predates COVID-19, the sector remains under-developed by international standards. But with plenty of opportunities for investors, we …
16th August 2022
An increase in the permanent migration programme will help to alleviate labour shortages. But the rapid tightening of the labour market in recent months has been driven by strong labour demand rather than a shortfall in supply. The upshot is that the RBA …
Ruto wins, but political risks remain acute After nearly a week since voters went to the ballot box, William Ruto was finally announced President-elect in Kenya, but investors’ roller-coaster ride will probably continue over the coming days and weeks with …
15th August 2022
We agree with PM Modi’s assertion in his Independence Day speech over the weekend that boosting female participation in the labour force could have a major positive impact on the economy, but in truth the government’s record in this area is poor. Looking …
Given that unemployment rates have usually risen significantly in recessions, it is tempting to conclude that history is about to repeat itself, to the frustration of policymakers seeking soft landings in labour markets. But the pandemic has produced …
Rents in the Dublin prime office market rose rapidly in H1 2022, supported by a continued recovery in occupier demand. However, a cooling jobs market and strong supply pipeline mean that a slowdown is likely in the second half of the year. Having started …
The 2022 Football World Cup that kicks off in November will provide a significant boost to Qatar’s economy in Q4, but we doubt that the economic legacy of the tournament will live up to officials’ expectations. That raises the risk of overcapacity in key …
The latest data out of Nigeria suggest that GDP growth weakened further in Q2. Ongoing production problems in the oil sector will drag on growth in the coming year and, while that is likely to be offset by fiscal stimulus ahead of February’s elections, we …
The People’s Bank (PBOC) has cut its policy rates in response to a loss of economic momentum. A cut to the Loan Prime Rate (LPR) later this month is now a given and we expect additional easing measures further ahead, though it’s far from clear that this …
Brazil’s stock market has fared better than most this year, but we forecast it to fall ~15% over the rest of 2022. And while we expect it to rebound over the following couple of years, we think falling commodity prices and mounting fiscal risks will limit …
12th August 2022
Mexico’s central bank (Banxico) hiked interest rates by 75bp, to 8.50%, for a second consecutive meeting yesterday but, amid mounting evidence that the economy is struggling and with inflation close to a peak, we think that the pace of tightening will …
Commercial property wasn’t initially hit by the worsening in economic conditions at the turn of the year, but there are now growing signs of anxiety. Not only that, but even if the economic gloom is short lived and any downturn is mild, we expect …
The anticipation of quick reversals of central bank rate hikes has probably supported equity markets of late, but we suspect investors have become overly optimistic and still think equity prices will end this year, in general, below their current levels. …
The Canadian dollar has held up relatively well against the US dollar so far in 2022, but we think the factors underpinning the loonie’s resilience will fade and push it lower against the greenback over the next couple of years. The loonie has been the …
11th August 2022
While history shows that recessions can begin even while employment is still rising, the current rate of payroll employment growth is far too strong to be consistent with an economic downturn. By the same token, although we think an outright contraction …
We expect a recession in 2022/23 to be driven by high inflation, with a contraction in real consumer spending at its epicentre. But with household and corporate balance sheets still relatively healthy, we suspect the recession will be mild by historical …
The rise in new delinquencies on consumer loans over the first half of the year mostly reflects rising interest costs. With debt levels low, real incomes on track to begin rising again amid a drop back in inflation and the labour market holding up well, …
10th August 2022
We held a Drop In yesterday outlining our latest forecasts for global financial markets. This Update answers some questions that we received during that Drop In but didn’t have time to address. What would have to go right for bond and equity markets to be …
Capital outflows from EMs have eased over the past month, helping to stabilise local asset prices. But we think outflows will pick up again before long. That’s a threat to those EMs whose current account deficits have widened or are widening sharply, …
