Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
Disinflation continues, CBN in place to cut rates yet Nigeria’s headline inflation rate dipped to 32.2% y/y in August, confirming the disinflation trend is firmly on course as the pass through from previous sharp falls in the naira continues to fade. This …
16th September 2024
As the much-anticipated start of Fed easing approaches, the debate has centred on whether Powell & Co. will opt for a 25 or a 50-basis point rate cut. On the latest episode of The Weekly Briefing from Capital Economics, Group Chief Economist Neil …
14th September 2024
25bp vs 50bp debate finely poised The 25bp vs 50bp debate seemed settled following Governor Christopher Waller’s speech shortly after the August Employment Report, in which he suggested that he was leaning toward the smaller move. The cautious tone of …
13th September 2024
The sharp rebounds in both residential and non-residential building permit issuance in July eased concerns that the construction sector is about to take a turn for the worse. Risks remain, however, particularly for residential construction in Toronto. …
Mexico: judicial reform clears final major obstacle Outgoing Mexican President Amlo’s controversial judicial reform passed the final major hurdle this week with approval in the senate. This has contributed to a sharp fall in the peso – the currency is …
The ECB’s easing cycle continued this week and the first Fed rate cut is just around the corner, but we still think that central banks in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are now at the beginning of a slower phase of their easing cycles and will loosen …
The main event of this week was the ECB’s meeting on Thursday, where the Bank cut its deposit rate by 25bp, to 3.5%, as widely expected. Christine Lagarde made clear in the press conference that further rate cuts are on the cards, but she gave little away …
SARB set to join the EM rate-cutting party The current make-up of the MPC means that it will be a close call, but we expect the South African Reserve Bank to embark on an easing cycle next week. How quickly rates come down, though, partly depends on …
CBR delivers surprise hike The decision by the Russian central bank (CBR) to hike its policy rate today by 100bp, to 19.00%, suggests that policymakers are even more concerned about the inflation outlook than we’d previously thought. While our forecast is …
We think the markets are wrong to expect two more interest rate cuts this year But we think rates will be cut more quickly next year and to 3.00% in early 2026 MPC may speed up QT by announcing a £110bn reduction in the balance sheet We agree with the …
What will the US election mean for the Asia growth outlook? Will China’s economy overtake the US? Will India fulfil its growth potential? We’re tackling these issues and more in our Asia roundtable in London on Tuesday, 24th September. If you’d like to …
The public sector isn’t the main game In a speech this week, RBA Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter reiterated the Bank’s view that conditions in the labour market are currently not conducive to “wages growing at a rate consistent with achieving the …
Stronger yen reducing upside risks to inflation Developments over the past week seem to support the consensus view that the Bank of Japan will wait at least until December before hiking interest rates again. After all, the yen reached a fresh high against …
We now think the RBNZ will be one of the few central banks to cut rates below neutral this cycle, which would be bad news for the New Zealand dollar. New Zealand markets have so far shrugged off the RBNZ’s dovish tilt – and rate cut – last month. While …
All of the historical data supporting this publication can be found on our new Rate Cuts & Asset Returns dashboard. All of the forecasts in this publication can be found on our US Macro or Financial Markets dashboards. This Focus explores the key lessons …
12th September 2024
This dashboard has been launched as an accompaniment to this Asset Allocation Focus , which looks at patterns in financial markets around previous Fed easing cycles. If you would like subscriber access to this dashboard contact …
Today’s decision by the ECB to cut the deposit rate by 25bp was widely anticipated, and even the press conference provided little new information. We stand by our view that too much easing is now discounted in money markets, which is why we think …
Inflation keeps falling more quickly than Norges Bank’s forecasts but policymakers will be uneasy about the renewed weakening of the krone. We expect them to repeat that the policy rate will be unchanged “for some time ahead”, but we think they will opt …
There was never any doubt that the ECB would cut its deposit rate by 25bp today, to 3.5%. Meanwhile, the policy statement and press conference were largely as expected and do not change our view that the next rate cut is most likely to be in December – …
The structural deterioration in the fiscal situation suggests that a tight grip on the public finances in the Budget on 30 th October will be necessary. That’s why we think the government will maintain existing plans for fiscal policy to be tightened, but …
OPEC+ roll over doesn’t stop the oil price slide After we published our last Weekly , OPEC+ released a statement confirming that the group would roll over current oil production cuts until 1 st December. It also included previous phrasing that it has the …
Slight rise in headline rate tips balance in favour of October rate hold The slight rise in India’s headline CPI inflation in August reinforces our view that the Reserve Bank will proceed with a bit of caution and keep rates unchanged in its next meeting …
ECB likely to ease policy only gradually There was never any doubt that the ECB would cut its deposit rate by 25bp today, to 3.5%. Otherwise, the policy statement is largely as expected and does not change our view that the ECB will probably leave rates …
Global Economics Chart Pack (September 2024) …
The Fed’s upcoming monetary easing cycle will probably provide less of a tailwind to EMs than is widely thought. While it’s likely to give some central banks (such as in the Gulf, Mexico and Indonesia) a green light to lower interest rates, EM rate …
Stronger yen has reduced upside risks to inflation, but labour shortages persist Recent data should have enhanced Bank’s confidence in its central scenario Bank will hike rates in October, but refrain from tightening any further in 2025 The Bank of …
Inflation stabilises, rates to be left on hold Russia’s headline inflation rate held steady at 9.1% y/y in August which, while slightly stronger than expected, won’t tip the balance towards another interest rate hike at the central bank’s meeting on …
11th September 2024
Recent data favour a 25bp vs a 50bp interest rate cut in September New SEP to show more cuts this year We expect 200bp of cumulative rate cuts vs 250bp priced into markets With the labour market data more consistent with an economic slowdown rather than …
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has always ended up cutting interest rates by more than it anticipated at the start of previous easing cycles. We think this time won’t be any different and expect the Bank to cut rates to 2.25% at the end of its easing …
10th September 2024
Further rise in services inflation seals the deal on a rate hike Brazil’s headline inflation dropped back to 4.2% y/y in August, but there was yet another increase in underlying services inflation which sets the stage for an interest rate hike at next …
Note: we will be hosting an online Drop-in on Wednesday 11th September at 3pm BST to discuss the outlook for gold prices. Sign up here . With a long and varied list of supportive drivers to choose from, we have raised our end-2025 gold price forecast to …
Inflation picks up, CBE will wait until 2025 before cutting rates Egypt’s headline inflation strengthened from 25.7% y/y in July to 26.2% y/y in August, breaking a five month streak of decelerating inflation, after electricity and fuel price hikes. We …
Further mixed-to-weak US economic data and sharp falls in the equity markets last week means that, rightly or wrongly, the so-called “Fed put” is now back in the spotlight. Our sense is that it would still take a significant further deterioration in the …
9th September 2024
The larger-than-expected fall in Mexico’s headline inflation rate, to 5.0% y/y in August, alongside the likelihood of a Fed rate cut next week, mean that Banxico is on track to lower its policy rate by another 25bp at its meeting later this month. The …
Unemployment rate drops back The 142,000 rise in non-farm payrolls and fall in the unemployment rate to 4.2% confirmed that some of the weakness in July was due to temporary factors, with the number of people on temporary layoff falling by 190,000. That …
6th September 2024
That August payrolls report was one of the more keenly awaited data releases in a while – but what do its details suggest about how the Fed is likely to start monetary easing when it meets later this month? On the latest episode of The Weekly Briefing …
The communications from the Bank of Canada this week suggest that the rise in the unemployment rate in August is unlikely to be enough to trigger larger interest rate cuts, which is probably a sign that the Bank is comfortable with the extent of loosening …
Two months after the conclusion of France’s parliamentary elections, we finally know the name of the next prime minister (the fifth since 2020). The good news, at least for France’s creditors is that Michel Barnier, who is a member of the centre-right Les …
What will the US election mean for Asia's growth outlook? Will China's strength in emerging technology help it overtake the US? Is India doing what is needed to fulfil its growth potential? We’re tackling these issues and more in an Asia roundtable in …
Turkish officials expecting a goldilocks rebalancing The medium-term economic programme presented by Turkey’s government this week highlights that policymakers remain committed to orthodox policies to deal with the country’s large macroeconomic …
Governing Council to cut deposit rate by 25bp again next week. Policymakers will point to a gradual easing cycle beyond that. Pace of rate cuts by the Fed will have little impact on ECB. The ECB looks certain to cut its deposit rate from 3.75% to 3.5% …
RBA will need to see more progress on inflation National accounts data released this Wednesday made for grim reading. They confirmed that Australia’s run of sluggish activity continued in Q2, with real GDP rising by a tepid 0.2% q/q for a third …
Regular pay growth hits 32-year high According to preliminary figures for July , regular wage growth jumped from 2.2% y/y to 2.7%, which is where we had expected it to peak in the second half of this year. And an alternative gauge that the Bank of Japan …
The economy looks to be entering a period of below-potential growth, characterised by excess supply in the goods and labour markets. This will keep downward pressure on core inflation, which we think will reach the Bank of Canada’s 2% target by the middle …
5th September 2024
The tightening of Brazil’s labour market and pick-up in wage growth over the first half of the year has supported a consumer boom. We expect conditions to cool over the coming quarters but, for now, the buoyant labour market is adding to the central …
Is OPEC+ backing itself into a corner again? The price of oil has slumped even further this week and is now not far off its lowest level in three years. With a potential end to the Libya crisis in sight and our expectation of global oil demand to stay …
We held online Drop-In sessions earlier this week to discuss the outlook for major DM and EM economies and the risks that they face as we look forward to 2025. (See a recording here .) This Update answers some of the questions that we received, including …
On hold, BNM to leave rates unchanged this year and next Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) left its overnight policy rate (OPR) on hold (at 3.00%) today, and is likely to be one of the few countries in Asia to leave interest rates unchanged throughout the rest …