Filtered by Topic: Monetary Policy Use setting Monetary Policy
A disappointing end to Q2 The sharp fall in euro-zone retail sales in June means sales contracted in Q2 as a whole. With the final PMI surveys pointing to price pressures continuing to intensify and demand softening, we think household spending will …
3rd August 2022
Inflation close to a peak, but will remain high The modest rise in Turkey’s headline inflation rate to 79.6% y/y in July suggests that inflation is nearing a peak, but it will remain close to these very high rates for several more months and will be slow …
Inflation appears to have peaked Swiss inflation appears to have peaked in July at an enviably low level compared to that of most other advanced economies. That said, the core rate reached its highest level in more than two decades, which is likely to …
We think the Caixin Services PMI edged lower last month (02.45 BST) Inflation in Turkey probably exceeded 80% in July (08.00 BST) We expect Brazil’s central bank to hike rates by 50bp (22.30 BST) Key Market Themes Although the US dollar has faltered over …
2nd August 2022
Consumer price inflation in Korea increased to a new 24-year high last month, but we think it has now peaked. With headwinds to the economy mounting, we believe that the central bank’s tightening cycle will come to a finish before the end of the year. …
The Reserve Bank of Australia revised up its inflation forecasts sharply when it lifted the cash rate by 50bp today and we expect it to hike rates more aggressively over coming months than most anticipate. However, we expect the Bank to start cutting …
Labour market to remain tight In June, the number of unemployed people rose in the euro-zone for the first time in 14 months. Nevertheless, we expect the labour market to remain tight even as the economy heads into recession, maintaining the upward …
1st August 2022
The slump in the CFIB Business Barometer in July – to a post-pandemic low – shows that the jump in borrowing costs is hitting more than just the housing market. With the survey still pointing to elevated price and wage expectations, however, the mounting …
29th July 2022
Big challenges for Argentina’s new “superminister” President Alberto Fernández announced a major cabinet reshuffle yesterday in an effort to tackle the latest economic crisis. One of the casualties of the reshuffle is Silvina Batakis, who had taken over …
More signs of weakness This week continued the run of downbeat economic data, with the 0.9% annualised decline in GDP in the second quarter, following the 1.6% decline in the first, inevitably leading to a fresh round of calls that the economy has fallen …
Russian gas cut off raises energy supply risks The news flow this week continued to be dominated by concerns about energy supply this winter after Gazprom reduced gas exports to Europe further. The immediate consequence will be higher energy bills and an …
The fall in 10-year gilt yields from 2.60% in late June to 1.95% now has been in line with the global trend and shows that the markets are looking through the further near-term rises in inflation and interest rates and focussing more on the risks of …
Nigeria’s budget woes Data published by Nigeria’s Budget Office this week highlighted that, despite what should be a favourable high oil price environment, the public finances are actually getting worse. The figures showed that the federal government …
We still expect a higher 10-year Treasury yield, lower S&P 500 and stronger US dollar over the remainder of the year, but have pared back our forecasts for the rise in yields and fall in equities. In particular, we now suspect the 10-year yield is …
Given our forecast that the Bank of England will raise interest rates from 1.25% now to a peak of 3.00%, we still think that gilt yields have further to rise. However, with attention in the markets turning towards the prospect of lower inflation and …
GDP target RIP It turns out that GDP growth targets aren’t such a big deal after all. The Politburo yesterday said that only “provinces that are in a position to do so” need hit their targets this year. And it signalled that no major new stimulus measures …
Gazprom’s announcement this week that it is reducing the supply of gas through Nord Stream 1 to only a fifth of its normal capacity has pushed European natural gas prices up from €125/MWh to €190/MWh over the past week, and will further increase inflation …
A tournament to forgot for Nordic football fans Of course, Sweden measures up well against the UK in many ways, including on the economic and political fronts. After all, the estimated 1.4% q/q rise in Swedish GDP in Q2 (data released on Thursday) is in a …
New president backs “Build, Build, Build” In his first State of the Nation address, the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., this week pledged to resume the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure programme of his predecessor, …
Re-opening boost to fade, fast The chunky increase in euro-zone GDP in Q2 was due to the re-opening of the services sector which has masked a deterioration in most other parts of the economy. We expect a triple whammy of high inflation, tighter monetary …
Consumers borrowing more to cope with higher inflation The chunky increase in unsecured borrowing in June suggests that households are having to rely more on credit due to the cost of living crisis. But households won’t be able to fully offset the hit to …
Rising core inflation adds to pressure on ECB With headline and core inflation rising more than expected yet again, the case for the ECB to pursue further aggressive tightening of interest rates is unassailable. A 50bp hike in September now looks nailed …
GDP in Taiwan contracted last quarter as a surge in COVID-19 cases weighed heavily on consumer-facing sectors and exports slowed. Although consumption should bounce back now that virus cases are falling and mobility is rebounding, the worsening prospects …
Falling yields ease pressure on yield target Long-term government bond yields have retreated from their recent highs in both the US and Japan, with the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds (JGB) now the lowest it has been since mid-March. (See Chart …
Global economic and market analysis from Capital Economics We expect euro-zone GDP probably rose a little bit last quarter … … and intense price pressures kept regional inflation high in July (10.00 BST) We think that Colombia’s central bank will hike its …
28th July 2022
Governor Tiff Macklem has voiced concern about the inflationary impact of the loonie, but we doubt that a modest fall would prevent the Bank of Canada from pausing its tightening before the Federal Reserve. At US$0.78, the loonie is far lower than the …
We held an online Drop-In event yesterday to discuss our Q3 Global Economic Outlook and the forecasts within it (see an on-demand recording here ). This Update addresses several of the client questions that we did not have time to answer during the event. …
Gulf would benefit from possible OPEC+ policy shift Next week’s OPEC+ meeting may provide the first hints of the group’s production policy beyond September and if, as we expect, they opt to remove quotas, the Gulf stands to benefit most. On its current …
The economic outlook has deteriorated across the region. Inflation is soaring and monetary conditions are tightening, which is weighing on households’ real incomes and spending power. The latest surveys show consumer confidence tanking and economic …
Downbeat surveys raise the spectre of recession The bigger-than-expected decline in the EC Economic Sentiment Indicator in July adds to a growing list of indicators pointing to activity slowing markedly in July. With the region’s gas supply now reduced …
MPC to raise rates by a bigger 50bps and to leave the door open to more 50bps hikes Our forecast that rates will peak at 3.00% remains higher than the consensus forecast of 2.00% Bank takes another step closer to gilt sales We expect the Monetary Policy …
Drop in inflation unlikely to stave off another 50bp hike next week Another 50bps possible in September, but tightening to slow after inflation peaks in Q3 Repo rate to rise by more than most expect by early 2023 We expect the MPC to continue frontloading …
Overview – Activity has bounced back from lockdowns but China’s economic recovery will become more challenging from here on as exports turn from tailwind to headwind and the property downturn deepens. Policy restraint means that stimulus will not fully …
The Fed’s decision to raise interest rates by a further 75bp to 2.25%-2.50% takes them close to their “neutral” level. With inflation set to fall and mounting signs of economic weakness, we suspect officials will be more cautious raising rates from here, …
27th July 2022
The mortgage boycotts are a double threat to developers and to the housing market. They have drawn attention to the problem of cash-strapped developers being unable to complete properties that they have already sold, which is putting off new homebuyers. …
For a major net oil exporter, Nigeria’s worsening economic struggles in the current high oil price environment are striking. Low oil production, which was 30% below the country’s OPEC+ quota in June, has curbed oil export revenues. Coming alongside …
Global economic and market analysis from Capital Economics We expect the Fed to hike the fed funds rate by 75bp, to 2.25-2.50%(19.00 BST) We think the US economy expanded by just above 1% q/q annualised last quarter (13.30 BST) Register for our Drop-In on …
Risks rising, but recession still far from inevitable While the deterioration in the survey data and renewed inversion of the Treasury yield curve imply that the risks are rising, our composite models suggest that the economy is still more likely than not …
Latin American economies held up well in early part of this year, helped by the surge in commodity prices brought about by the war in Ukraine. But there are signs that activity is now weakening. Timely monthly activity indices fell in m/m terms in five of …
Bank lending growth accelerated further in June, but lenders expect the demand for loans to slow sharply in the coming months, adding to the reasons to expect the economy to fall into recession. Meanwhile, banks in the periphery are tightening the Ts and …
Labour market surprising to the upside, but inflation in line with expectations Bank to keep hiking by 50bp until October Rates to peak at 3.6%, but housing downturn will prompt rate cuts next year While the labour market has surprised to the upside, …
Table of Key Forecasts Overview – EM GDP growth will be weaker than most expect in 2022 and 2023 as China’s economy rebounds only moderately and activity slows elsewhere. Inflation is set to remain elevated for some time yet, and policy rates will be kept …
26th July 2022
The news today that Gazprom will further reduce its natural gas supply to Europe increases the likelihood of recessions in the euro-zone, UK and parts of Emerging Europe. It also supports our view that inflation pressures will be relatively persistent in …
Overview – Sub-Saharan African economies are suffering heavily from the spillovers from Fed tightening and the war in Ukraine. Policy in the region is likely to tighten further as a result, weighing on growth. Indeed, our growth forecasts for this year …
GDP figures for Korea released earlier today showed economic growth accelerated in the second quarter thanks to a strong rebound in private consumption as the economy enjoyed a reopening bounce. This follows the scrapping of most of the remaining COVID-19 …
Inflation has peaked, but will remain high The drop in inflation in Brazil to 11.4% y/y in the first half of July provides the first clear sign that inflation has passed its peak and is now on a downwards path. But even so, with the headline rate far …
Italy’s next government is unlikely to bring the country’s future in the euro-zone into doubt, in a repeat of the turmoil that we saw after the 2018 election. But it will probably run looser fiscal policy and find it more difficult to pass reforms. If it …
Global economic and market analysis from Capital Economics Inflation probably edged down in Brazil in the first half of July (13.00 BST) We expect Hungary’s central bank to hike rates by 100bp (13.00 BST) Clients can register here for a Drop-In on our …
25th July 2022
Heading for recession The further decline in the German Ifo Business Climate Index (BCI) in July adds to the evidence that the German economy is on the brink of a recession as high energy prices and worries about energy security take their toll on firms’ …
Our view that GDP growth will slow below potential next year assumes one of the sharpest falls in dwellings investment in Australia’s modern history. However, this Update explains why dwellings investment could hold up better than we’re anticipating. In …