Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
Anatomy of a (self-inflicted) crisis Brazil this week was on the precipice of a crisis – if not in one already. The real continued to tumble, hitting a record low of 6.3/$ on Wednesday – down around 10% against the dollar since late October. 10-year local …
20th December 2024
A look back at 2024 reveals that some of our forecasts were good and some were off. We were right to forecast this time last year that Bank Rate would be cut only gradually, from the peak of 5.25% to 4.75%. (See here .) That turned out to be closer than …
Nigeria: more rate hikes not a done deal Nigeria’s headline inflation rate crept up further in November, but we’re not convinced that this will prompt the central bank to deliver more rate hikes. Figures released on Monday showed that Nigeria’s headline …
Markets don’t believe easing will deliver China’s central bank is trapped between the leadership’s incompatible desires to ramp-up monetary support for the economy, while keeping the currency stable and at the same time sending a message that its policy …
A rare dovish surprise from the CBR The unexpected decision by Russia’s central bank to leave interest rates on hold at 21.00% today, rather than hike further, sparks a lot of questions about the central bank’s reaction function – and whether it may be …
When matters less than how far Governor Ueda delivered two messages in the press conference after yesterday’s policy meeting : first, the Bank of Japan thinks that policy normalisation is still on track and it intends to raise rates further; second, the …
RBA shake up The week began with Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers announcing two new picks for the RBA’s monetary policy committee. To recap, in late November, parliament approved an overhaul of the RBA, in line with the recommendations of a review …
Dovish BoK minutes point to further rate cuts This week’s publication of the minutes from the Bank of Korea’s November meeting , at which it cut rates for a second month in a row, confirmed that inflation concerns have now largely subsided and that the …
Surge in headline inflation won’t last, but underlying inflation to remain near target November’s surge in inflation wasn’t a surprise – the Bank of Japan will have known it was on the cards when it decided not to hike rates yesterday. But it should add …
19th December 2024
Banxico cuts, but pace of easing unlikely to be stepped up Mexico’s central bank unanimously decided to deliver another 25bp interest rate cut, to 10.00%, at today’s meeting and the statement flagged that the easing cycle will continue in the coming …
Overview – We expect the incoming Trump administration’s policies to have a mildly stagflationary impact on the economy. Assuming that Trump introduces tariffs and immigration curbs via executive action by the middle of next year, we would expect GDP …
Tab le of Key Forecasts Overview – Headwinds to growth will remain strong in 2025 and our forecasts lie below the consensus. While more protectionist US trade policy will hit China and Mexico, the impact for most is likely to be limited. Currencies will …
Saudi inflation to fall back over 2025 Saudi inflation rose further in November but there were tentative signs that some of the recent drivers of higher price pressures are fading and we expect the headline rate to drop back towards 1% by end-2025. The …
While the Bank of England left interest rates at 4.75% today, it struck a slightly more dovish tone. This supports our view that the next 25 basis points (bps) rate cut will come in February and that the Bank will cut rates further and faster than …
Easing on pause as the neutral level approaches The Czech central bank (CNB) left its policy rate on hold at 4.00% today, but we think that the easing cycle will resume before long. We still expect rates to fall towards 3.00% by the end of next year. …
For our more detailed analysis of the Bank's December policy announcement, see here . Dovish hold supports our view that rates will be cut further and faster than market pricing While the Bank of England left interest rates at 4.75% today, it struck a …
Table of Key Forecasts Global Overview – We expect 2025 to be another year of reasonably healthy global GDP growth and a continued normalisation of monetary policy. To the extent that tariffs hurt the global economy, the damage will be less than …
The economy should post decent growth in Q4 off the back of more forceful fiscal support. The leadership signalled following the recent Central Economic Work Conference that policy will be loosened next year which should continue to prop up activity. But …
We think 2025 will be a better year for the Japanese yen against the US dollar than 2024 has been, as the relative monetary policy picture shifts more decisively in its favour. A Fed cut and a hold from the Bank of Japan (BoJ) might seem like a surprising …
The Bank of Japan's decision to leave rates on hold for a third consecutive meeting was not a great surprise. But in the post-meeting press conference Governor Ueda sounded in no hurry at all to resume the tightening cycle and there’s now a good chance …
The Riksbank’s decision to cut its policy rate by 25bp to 2.5% was widely anticipated and we expect it to cut just one last time next year, by 25bp in March. In contrast, Norges Bank left its policy rate unchanged today at 4.5% and is unlikely to start …
Riksbank slows pace of cuts, likely to pause loosening at next meeting The Riksbank cut its policy rate by just 25bp today to 2.5% and it is unlikely to cut at its next meeting in January. Further ahead, we now expect just one more 25bp cut next year, in …
Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) left its main policy rate unchanged today (at 2.0%) and with risks to the inflation outlook skewed firmly to the upside we expect rates to remain on hold throughout 2025. In contrast, the consensus is expecting the central bank …
Low inflation in the Philippines to prompt further rate cuts The central bank in the Philippines (BSP) today cut rates by 25bps (to 5.75%) for the third consecutive meeting and signalled that more rate cuts of the same magnitude are likely over the …
Bank will bring in the new year with a rate hike Although the Bank of Japan left rates on hold for a third consecutive meeting, we think it will resume its tightening cycle before long. The Bank’s decision to leave the policy rate unchanged at 0.25% was …
The Fed did cut interest rates by an additional 25bp today, as was largely expected, taking the fed funds rate down to between 4.25% and 4.50%. But the vote was not unanimous and, in a hawkish shift, the new median projection now shows only 50bp of …
18th December 2024
Fed delivers a hawkish rate cut The Fed did cut interest rates by an additional 25bp today, as was largely expected, taking the fed funds rate down to between 4.25% and 4.50%. But the vote was not unanimous and, in a hawkish shift, the new median …
Africa Chart Pack (Dec. 2024) …
Overview – The near-term economic outlook has brightened, with lower interest rates feeding through and consumption benefitting from the recent strong pace of real income growth. That should help to drive quarterly GDP growth above 2% annualised in the …
A collapsing currency. A gaping budget deficit. And a president adding fuel to the fire. As a sense of crisis envelopes Brazil, economists from our EM and Markets teams held this special briefing on the market, policy, and the implications for Latin …
Currency concerns to keep Bank Indonesia on the sidelines Bank Indonesia today left interest rates on hold at 6.00%, and given worries about the exchange rate we don’t think it will be until the second half of next year at the earliest that it resumes …
BoT to resume easing cycle next year Thailand’s central bank (BoT) today left interest rates unchanged (at 2.25%), but kept the door open to rate cuts next year. With inflation set to stay very low and growth likely to struggle, we are expecting a total …
Overview – Slowing growth across Emerging Europe in recent quarters has set a downbeat tone heading into 2025. With domestic and external headwinds remaining strong, we think that most economies in the region will disappoint consensus expectations for …
17th December 2024
Overview – Falling inflation and looser monetary policy will help GDP growth to accelerate across Sub-Saharan Africa next year. A shift towards trade protectionism in the US will hurt certain sectors in certain countries, but is unlikely to have a …
The region recorded robust growth in Q3 but we think that tight policy, worsening terms of trade and US trade protectionism will keep GDP growth in Latin America below consensus expectations in the coming years. Fiscal risks have intensified, in …
Rates on hold, new MNB Governor will have little scope to cut in 2025 The Hungarian central bank (MNB) left its base rate on hold again today, at 6.50%, and we think that a rise in inflation in early 2025 will keep rates on hold until at least the new …
Overview – China’s leadership has signalled that policy will be loosened further, which will provide a near-term prop to activity. But we still expect China’s growth to slow next year, because of the more challenging external environment and a further …
After a stellar run, India’s economy has entered a softer patch that will continue for a few more quarters. We think that will portend an underperformance in local equities relative to other major benchmarks. Headline CPI inflation has fallen back within …
EM GDP growth picked up in the second half of the year but faces headwinds in 2025 from tight policy at home and challenges abroad. Our growth forecasts generally sit below the consensus. Monetary easing will continue but, outside Asia, high inflation …
16th December 2024
Overview – We expect economic growth in the euro-zone to remain sluggish. This is partly due to adverse demographics and structural forces hampering the competitiveness of industry. But past monetary tightening will continue to weigh on investment and …
In the latest episode of The Weekly Briefing from Capital Economics, Group Chief Economist Neil Shearing outlines the three big policy quandaries facing three big DM central banks. He unpacks the ECB’s December decision, previews the upcoming Fed and Bank …
13th December 2024
Fed presented with early Christmas gift Going into this week, it already looked likely that the Fed would cut its policy rate by 25bp at its December meeting (as opposed to leaving it unchanged), and the muted November price data cemented it. Based on the …
Milei has reason to cheer Tuesday marked Argentinian President Javier Milei’s first year in office, and he had plenty to celebrate. He’s made much more progress than we (and most other analysts) had thought would be possible. Inflation came in at 2.4% m/m …
South Africa October activity data point to recovery While data out this week showed renewed struggles in South Africa’s mining sector, other figures suggest that a recovery has taken hold in Q4. The retail sector recorded a 1.6% m/m gain in October, more …
Bank of Canada signals caution The Bank continued its easing cycle this week with another 50bp cut, taking the policy rate down to 3.25%. While that was widely expected, the hawkish tone of the policy statement prompted investors to pare back expectations …
Overview – We expect another year of below-trend and below-consensus GDP growth in most of Asia in 2025, as tight fiscal policy and weak exports weigh on output. In China, a slowdown in construction will act as a further drag. Inflation is back to (or …
Mood at the ECB shifting gradually In our view, this week’s ECB meeting didn’t spring any surprises, and the message was clear that we should expect further interest rate cuts. (See here .) Yet the market reaction during and after the press conference …
Deflation concerns to sway BoT After a relatively quiet week in terms of scheduled events and releases, the coming week sees central bank meetings in Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines. We are expecting holds in Indonesia and …
New RBI leadership and inflation drop tips balance Two big developments this week have tipped the odds in favour of a repo rate cut at the RBI’s next meeting in February, or potentially even in an unscheduled meeting before then. The first was the …
