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NB. Our new and improved interactive US Commercial Property dashboard, home to key macro and commercial real estate forecasts, can be found here . Overview – The market remains in the doldrums, with the mood negative and activity weak. We think this …
11th June 2024
The granular data on mortgage lending in Q1 contained some signs of relief following the dip in mortgage rates at the end of last year. But given that decline in rates has since reversed, we don’t think it signals a further improvement in activity to …
RBA to stay put at its June meeting Inflation remains high, but spare capacity is starting to open up in the economy Forthcoming easing cycle will be modest in scope, with rates returning to neutral We expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to leave rates …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. S ticky wage growth a lingering concern for the BoE The stickiness of wage growth in April will be a lingering concern for the Bank of England. But with employment falling …
O ur Canada Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. As the economy is set for a sustained period of below potential growth and core inflation is on track to return to the 2% target by the end of the year, …
10th June 2024
The shock results of Europe’s parliament elections have roiled markets as investors respond harshly to news of President Macron’s surprise decision to dissolve France’s National Assembly and hold early elections. What will Macron’s gamble mean for the …
Rising car prices explain why US import prices from Japan haven’t fallen despite the sharp weakening of the yen. While growth in car prices has slowed as supply shortages have unwound, this hasn’t boosted export volumes so far and we think that the weak …
The Bank of Canada kicked off its loosened cycle this week and the accompanying communications left the door open for another cut in July, although still-strong wage pressures are one reason why the Bank may opt to take a more gradual approach. “Let’s …
7th June 2024
We don’t think that the below-potential GDP growth implied by the recent activity data is a cause for concern yet, particularly while the labour market appears healthy. That will keep the Fed squarely focused on the inflation side of its mandate at its …
This week both the Conservative and Labour Party have been quick to tell us about ‘financial black holes’ in their opponent’s tax and spending plans. But there are two big things neither party is telling us. First, sticking to their fiscal rules means …
Payrolls outperform, but gap with household measure growing The bigger-than-expected 272,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in May will soothe recent fears that the bottom had suddenly dropped out of the economy. With average hourly earnings increasing by 0.4% …
Labour market conditions continue to loosen The further rise in the unemployment rate in May shows that the labour market continues to loosen, but the surprising pick-up in wage growth still provides reason to be cautious about the idea that the Bank of …
Regular earnings growth hits 30-year high At first glance, the jump in regular earnings growth to a 30-year high of 2.3% in April is a clear sign that the strong pay hikes agreed in this year’s spring wage negotiations (Shunto) are filtering through. …
GDP growth set to undershoot RBA’s forecasts Australia last quarter recorded the weakest annual GDP growth since the early-1990s recession, leaving aside the pandemic. If the measly 0.1% q/q rise in output last quarter was repeated this quarter, annual …
Container shipping costs have rebounded in the past month amid a pick-up in demand for goods from China and a possible front-loading of festive orders due to concerns about future shipping disruptions. And shipping costs could yet rise further. Our …
6th June 2024
Just as fixed mortgage rates have shielded homeowners from rising interest rates, they will prevent households’ interest costs from falling rapidly when interest rates are cut. While borrowers on tracker and two-year fixed rate deals will soon see their …
Improvement in trade balance may not point to economic strength Stronger commodity exports boosted the trade figures in April, with the goods deficit narrowing to $1.0bn, from a downwardly revised $2.0bn in March. However, weaker import volumes suggest …
Net trade set to weigh on GDP again this quarter The April trade data suggest that net trade is on track to weigh on GDP growth again this quarter, but that is primarily due to continued strength in imports, which paints a better picture of domestic …
Bank may reduce its bond purchases next week, though we think it will wait until July. Next rate hike should happen in July as BoJ increasingly worried about weaker yen. However, sharp slowdown in underlying inflation will forestall a series of rate …
Today’s interest rate cut from the Bank of Canada will be the first of many, and the dovish tone of the accompanying communications suggests another rate cut in July is nailed on. As Governor Tiff Macklem shrugged off any potential concerns about exchange …
5th June 2024
ISM services index rebounds, but still consistent with lower inflation The rise in the ISM services index to 53.8 in May, from 49.4, meant that the weighted ISM index rebounded last month, despite a decline in the manufacturing index. That still leaves it …
Our 2020 analysis of the impact of changed working patterns on office demand correctly estimated the share of fully remote work, but underpredicted the extent of hybrid work. Yet with office job growth set to stay strong for the rest of the decade, the …
One down, many more to come Today’s interest rate cut from the Bank of Canada will be the first of many, and the dovish tone of the accompanying communications suggests that another rate cut in July is already nailed on. For now, our forecast is that …
Disinflationary trend gradually reasserting itself Economy and labour market losing momentum New projections should still show one or two rate cuts this year With no prospect of the Fed adjusting policy next week, the focus of the FOMC meeting will be the …
Whoever wins the general election on 4 th July will have three main choices when it comes to spending and taxes. First, the new government could change the fiscal rules to give itself more fiscal space. Second, it could keep the current fiscal rules and …
Mortgage applications fall to three-month low The decline in mortgage rates in May was not enough to stop home purchase mortgage applications from falling to a three-month low. The chances of a quick turnaround in June currently look slim, as the increase …
GDP growth will accelerate over the second half of the year While GDP growth slowed to a crawl in Q1, a rebound in real household incomes should contribute to a pick-up in activity over the second half of the year. The 0.1% q/q rise in Q1 GDP was a …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Wage growth will climb above 2.5% this year Base pay rose the most since 1994 in April and we think it will accelerate a bit further as the strong pay hikes agreed in the spring …
The April JOLTS data provided further evidence of normalisation, with job openings falling further, layoffs still at historically low levels and the leading indicators all pointing to wage growth cooling. The job openings rate fell to 4.8% in April, from …
4th June 2024
The latest manufacturing PMIs suggest that the recovery in global industry has continued to gather momentum so far in Q2 and that price pressures have increased somewhat. But that probably won’t prevent central banks from loosening policy in the coming …
3rd June 2024
Fall in ISM manufacturing index suggests economy losing momentum The drop in the ISM manufacturing index in May adds to the sense that the economy is losing momentum, while the drop back in the prices paid index should soothe concerns about a potential …
This year’s minimum wage increase will be a bit smaller than we had anticipated. And with the looser labour market putting downward pressure on wage growth among workers not covered by the minimum wage and awards, we expect wage growth to slow faster than …
While house price growth accelerated rather sharply in May, stretched affordability points to a renewed slowdown. Indeed, most leading indicators point to a renewed moderation in price growth. Allowing for seasonal swings, house price growth across the …
The European Central Bank is likely to become the first major advanced economy central bank to cut rates since the end of the pandemic when it meets this Thursday – easing policy ahead of the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England. It’s a move that’s …
2nd June 2024
The weaker-than-expected first-quarter GDP data and downward revision to fourth-quarter growth caused markets to price in a higher chance that the Bank of Canada will cut interest rates next week. With consumption growth strong, however, we still think …
31st May 2024
Trump conviction won’t sway the election Trump campaign won’t be decided by courts We doubt that Donald Trump’s New York felony conviction on charges of falsifying business documents will have any significant impact on the presidential election …
With both Labour and the Conservatives this week ruling out increases in income tax, national insurance and VAT, it remains difficult to see how cuts to public services can be avoided after the election. (For all our election analyses, see here .) But …
Growth softer than expected, but strength under the surface The 1.7% annualised gain in GDP in the first quarter was weaker than the Bank of Canada’s forecast for an above-potential 2.8% increase. With consumption growth looking much stronger than …
Inflation data still too strong, but slump in real spending the bigger story As expected, the PCE deflator data suggest that, although not quite as bad as the first three months of the year, inflation was still running above target in April. At the same …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Drag on activity from high interest rates continues to fade While April’s money and lending figures suggest the recent rebound in the housing market is cooling and households …
Persistently high mortgage rates cause prices to stagnate Despite a small increase in the Nationwide house price index in May, the big picture is that the slight rise in mortgage rates since the start of the year has caused house prices to stagnate. The …
Fertility rate may have fallen to fresh lows According to some estimates , Japan’s fertility rate fell from 1.26 in 2022 to 1.21 last year. Although higher than in some other Asian economies, for Japan this would still be a fresh record low. (See Chart …
Disinflation stalling The economic data released this week once again highlighted the dilemma the Reserve Bank of Australia finds itself in. On the one hand, the April Monthly CPI Indicator showed the second consecutive rise in both headline and trimmed …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. GDP should rebound this quarter On balance, the modest decline in industrial production and the rebound in retail sales in April point to a decent rebound in GDP this quarter. …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Slowdown in underlying inflation has further to run May’s rebound in inflation in Tokyo largely reflects a jump in electricity inflation that has further to run, but underlying …
The stronger than expected Q1 GDP data in several major economies suggest that the global economy got off to a strong start in 2024. But we expect global growth to fall back to a slightly below-trend pace in the next few quarters, as China’s fiscal …
30th May 2024
Labour market gradually cooling We forecast another 175,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in May, with the unemployment rate expected to be unchanged at 3.9%. Wage growth should be unchanged at a muted 3.9%. Healthcare job surge to continue The more modest …
We suspect that monthly core price growth will accelerate marginally from the very soft rates seen in the first four months of the year but, on the whole, core price pressures should remain muted. That sets the stage for both core and headline inflation …