Supply picture improving, but plenty of challenges remain There were a few positive signs in February’s steel production figures; output in China grew healthily and production in advanced economies (DMs) appears to have troughed. However, any rebound in …
23rd March 2023
Homebuilder incentives support new home sales The modest recovery in new home sales continued in February reflecting support from price reductions and incentives offered by homebuilders, as well as a tight existing home market pushing buyers to the new …
The turmoil in the global banking sector has not spread to Emerging Europe, but the focus is back on the health of the region’s banks given the not-so-distant memory of the 2008/09 banking crises that swept across the region. The good news is that banks …
The Bank of England followed the Fed’s example by forging ahead today with a 25 basis point (bps) interest rate hike, taking rates from 4.00% to 4.25%. This could prove to be the last hike of the tightening cycle. But if wage growth and CPI services …
Crisis of confidence at crunch CBE meeting The Central Bank of Egypt’s decision in February to leave interest rates on hold looks to have been a policy misstep and, with inflation surging and growing concerns over the commitment to orthodox policymaking, …
A degree of calm has returned to markets, but investors remain nervous about where the next blow-up could occur – and attention is increasingly focused on commercial real estate. But are the concerns about real estate justified and – if so – where in the …
This webpage has been updated with a Table and Chart of the key figures. Stronger services inflation to keep Banxico tightening Mexico’s headline inflation rate dropped back by more than expected, to 7.1% y/y, in the first half of March but the further …
Bank of England may not yet be finished in its battle with inflation The Bank of England followed the US Fed’s example by forging ahead today with a 25bps interest rate hike and signalling that it may not yet be finished in its battle with inflation. As a …
CBRT keeps rates on hold after one-off cut in February Turkey’s central bank (CBRT) left its key policy rate on hold at 8.50% today as policymakers kept monetary conditions loose to support activity after the earthquakes in February. Interest rates are …
This morning’s 50bp interest rate hike by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), to 1.50%, was in line with expectations and shows that, like the ECB and Fed, Swiss policymakers have not been distracted from their inflation-fighting task by problems in the …
The Norges Bank’s 25bp rate hike today was accompanied by new verbal guidance that it is likely to raise rates further in May. Together with the new, higher interest rate forecast, this supports our view that the policy rate will peak at 3.5% and stay …
In a surprise move, Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) today raised its main policy rate by 12.5bps (to 1.875%), but with the economy struggling badly and inflationary pressures set to ease further, we think this was the last hike of the tightening cycle. The …
The central bank of the Philippines (BSP) today slowed the pace of tightening as it raised its main policy rate by 25bps (to 6.25%), and hinted that the tightening cycle was now approaching an end. Although inflation has now started to fall, it remains …
The statement accompanying the Brazilian central bank’s decision to keep the Selic rate unchanged at 13.75% yesterday will have disappointed some (not least in the government) that thought global market turmoil and economic weakness might prompt a quicker …
Surprise hike, but cuts still likely in H2 In a surprise move, Taiwan’s central bank (CBC) today raised its main policy rate by 12.5bps (to 1.875%), but with the economy struggling badly and inflationary pressures set to ease further, we think this was …
SNB looks through Credit Suisse turmoil and hikes by 50bp This morning’s 50bp interest rate hike by the SNB, to 1.50%, was in line with expectations and shows that, like the ECB and Fed, Swiss policymakers have not been distracted from their …
Norges Bank not done yet The Norges Bank’s 25bp rate hike was accompanied by new guidance signalling that it is likely to raise rates further in May. Together with the new, higher interest rate forecast, this supports our view that the policy rate will …
More tightening still to come The central bank of the Philippines (BSP) today slowed the pace of tightening as it raised its main policy rate by 25bps (to 6.25%), and hinted that the tightening cycle was now approaching an end. Although inflation has now …
PMIs continue to paint gloomy picture March’s flash PMIs corroborate our view that the economy will see a mild recession this year. The manufacturing PMI improved but was still contractionary, as demand remained weak. Meanwhile a further rise in the …
Government energy subsidies take 1%-pt off inflation Headline inflation fell from 4.3% in January to 3.3%, largely in line with our 3.2% forecast. The main driver of the slowdown was energy inflation, which flipped from 14.6% into outright deflation at …
The 25bp rate hike and new projections unveiled by the Fed today were towards the more dovish end of potential outcomes. Despite recent strong economic data, officials acknowledged the likely hit from the banking sector turmoil and left their end-year …
22nd March 2023
Bank likely to be feeling more confident about inflation outlook The latest Summary of Deliberations reveals that the Bank of Canada is not overly concerned by signs of sticky core inflation elsewhere, but the Bank still needs to see more evidence of …
Fed opts for dovish hike The 25bp rate hike and new projections unveiled by the Fed today were towards the more dovish end of potential outcomes – with officials acknowledging the likely economic hit from recent banking sector turmoil and leaving their …
US natural gas prices have plummeted recently amid subdued demand and elevated stocks. However, demand is expected to revive this year and next, which will put upward pressure on prices. The price of US gas (Henry Hub) has collapsed from a peak of $9.7 …
Crude stocks rise again, but it’s the Fed that will move oil prices Commercial crude stocks rose slightly this week, although product stocks fell as domestic demand and exports both picked up. But all eyes are on the Fed’s monetary policy meeting later …
Although the recent flare-up of financial stability concerns has been a US-Europe story, its reverberations could be global. Economists from across our Asia coverage held a special online briefing about what the turmoil in the banking sector could mean …
We expect the Fed to raise its policy rate by 25bp later on Wednesday (18.00 GMT) The SNB and Norges Bank are both likely to hike rates on Thursday (08.30 & 09.00 GMT) The latest UK inflation data support our view that the BoE will hike by 25bp too …
Recent data suggest the economy’s strong start to the year was mostly sustained in February, with consumption growth set to accelerate in the first quarter, payroll employment growth robust and, partly reflecting that strength, core inflation still much …
Even if the banking sector turmoil doesn’t grow into a broader economic crisis, we still think equities in emerging markets (EMs) will struggle over the next couple of quarters in local-currency (LC) terms. Since confidence in the financial sector started …
Turkey’s banking sector has been one of the weak links in the EM world in recent years due to its very high external debt burden. The good news is that banks have paid down these external debts and built up their FX liquidity buffers since 2018. This has …
Although recent strains in the banking sector mean that the economic outlook is especially uncertain, in our view equities are unlikely to perform particularly well, regardless of how things play out. It goes without saying that, over the past year or so, …
Spill-overs from the turmoil in the global banking system to India have been limited so far, but the big unknown is whether difficulties will flare up at home. Bank problems can arise via multiple channels. There may be banks that have not adequately …
The UK commercial real estate (CRE) debt market seems to be in a better position than the US, where troubled regional banks were the main providers of finance. That said, credit conditions are also set to tighten in the UK which will make refinancing more …
Strains in the global banking sector have flared up at a time when Latin America was in the midst of a period of economic weakness. Regional GDP fell in the final quarter of last year and surveys for early 2023 have been soft. Latin America’s banks have …
The Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme was designed to counter an alarming drop in housebuilding and home ownership among young adults. It succeeded to some extent on both fronts, so the loss of the policy when the housing market is in the midst of a …
Jump in core inflation seals the deal on a 25bp hike next week The rise in South Africa’s headline inflation rate, to 7.0% y/y, in February may be a sign that the intensification of loadshedding in recent months is fuelling price pressures. So long as …
Reacceleration in inflation supports the case for another rate hike The reacceleration in CPI inflation in February may be enough to tilt the Bank of England towards raising interest rates from 4.00% to 4.25% tomorrow despite the recent turmoil in the …
Reacceleration in inflation may force 25bps rate hike The reacceleration in overall CPI inflation from 10.1% in January to 10.4% in February (consensus 9.9%, BoE 10.2%) and core inflation from 5.8% to 6.2% (consensus 5.7%) may be enough to tilt the Bank …
We think CPI inflation edged lower in the UK… (07.00 GMT) …and continued to soften in South Africa in February (08.00 GMT) The Fed will probably press ahead with a 25bp rate hike (18.00 GMT) Key Market Themes A risk-on mood has prevailed today amid …
21st March 2023
While real estate is not the main cause of the current financial turbulence, as it was in the late 2000s, it has played an indirect role and may be implicated in any further instability. And property will also be vulnerable to the effects of recent …
Rebound in sales likely to reverse Existing home sales rebounded in February as buyers took advantage of falling mortgage rates. Weak mortgage applications data point to sales dropping back again in March, but with turmoil in the banking sector contained …
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raised the benchmark rate by 50bp, to 18.00%, and appeared to lay the groundwork to draw the tightening cycle to a close. The CBN’s decision to raise the benchmark rate by 50bp, to 18.00%, today follows 600bp of …
Spillovers from the global banking crisis to EMs appear limited so far. Encouragingly, too, most EM banks appear to be well placed to weather a period of rising non-performing loans resulting from weaker growth and higher interest rates. That said, there …
Another reason for the Bank to maintain its pause In case the turmoil in the global banking sector left any doubt, the sharper-than-expected fall in headline CPI inflation in February suggests there is little chance that the Bank of Canada will be forced …
Another reason for the Bank to maintain its pause In case the turmoil in the global banking sector left any doubt, the sharper-than-expected decline in headline CPI inflation in February suggests there is little chance that the Bank of Canada will be …
Struggling for momentum February’s activity data out of Poland paint a weak picture and support our view that GDP will, at best, flatline over 2023 as a whole. Even so, the central bank has little scope to help and we expect that high (albeit falling) …
The deal announced yesterday between Sri Lanka and the IMF should eventually pave the way for a sustained economic recovery. However, the tough conditions being imposed as part of the agreement mean the country faces another difficult year ahead. …
Pre-election tax cuts in prospect, but risks to the fiscal outlook growing Despite February’s worse-than-expected public finances figures, we still think the Chancellor may have more headroom to cut taxes/raise spending later this year. But the big risk …
