The latest manufacturing PMIs suggest that global industrial production is contracting, albeit with some signs of a slowdown in the pace of contraction in Europe. Product shortages have diminished almost everywhere, with any disruption related to China …
1st December 2022
Total employment grew across the 30 metros, but at a slower pace as labour market conditions continued to ease. With our proprietary indicators pointing to a 90% probability of an imminent recession, we maintain the view that those metros worst affected …
Index drops below 50 mark The decline in the ISM manufacturing index to 49.0 in November, the lowest reading since the early stages of the pandemic, from 50.2, leaves it at a level consistent with a stagnation in broader economic growth. The decline in …
The latest manufacturing PMI data from China strengthens our view that China’s industrial metals demand growth slowed in November and will probably weaken further in December. China’s Caixin manufacturing PMI , released today, rose from 49.2 in October to …
Index slips below the 50 mark The decline in the ISM manufacturing index to 49.0 in November, the lowest reading since the early stages of the pandemic, from 50.2, leaves it at a level consistent with a stagnation in broader economic growth. The decline …
OPEC+ keeping the world on its toes Eyes will turn to OPEC+ on Sunday and, while there have been contrasting reports that oil output could be raised or cut further, it looks increasingly likely that October’s agreement will be rolled over. But we don’t …
China's zero-COVID policy is under mounting strain as the economy reels and public anger grows. The government is responding but will it be enough to bring relief to China's economic outlook and its beleaguered public? And what do record infection numbers …
The damning report into corruption allegations surrounding South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has increased the possibility of him either resigning or being removed from office. Even if he stays on, the ruling ANC’s popularity will take a hit. To …
Real consumption boosted by motor vehicle rebound The strong 0.5% m/m increase in real spending in October illustrates that consumers are not buckling under the weight of higher interest rates, at least not yet. That gain follows a 0.3% m/m increase in …
Renewed optimism in global markets – in large part tied to hopes for a Fed “pivot” – pushed the US dollar down against most major currencies last month. But with a global recession on the horizon, we continue to think that the dollar rally will resume …
Slowdown now underway The weaker-than-expected Brazilian Q3 GDP growth figure, of 0.4% q/q, highlights that the weakening global economy and higher interest rates are bringing the recent period of strong growth to an end. And leading indicators suggest …
Labour market to soften from here, but remain tight The record-low euro-zone unemployment rate of 6.5% in October is likely to be as good as it gets for the region’s labour market. But the rise in unemployment from here will probably be small. The …
South Africa’s manufacturing PMI increased in November, to 52.6, but underlying activity in the sector is likely to remain subdued as the combination of sustained power cuts and fiscal and monetary policy tightening bites. And the pick-up in the prices …
Mixed bag, but industrial weakness likely in Q4 The manufacturing PMIs for November were a mixed bag, but suggest that weakening demand and the fading boost from easing supply shortages has begun to take a heavier toll on industrial sectors in Turkey, …
Sharp drop in prices as market adjusts to higher mortgage rates The 1.4% m/m drop in house prices in November was far larger than anyone expected, raising the risk that prices fall more rapidly and further in response to high mortgage rates than we …
Stable inflation keeps pressure off SNB The low inflation rate in November supports our view that the Swiss National Bank will not need to raise interest rates much further in the current cycle. Indeed, there is a growing chance that policymakers raise …
Further weakness ahead Manufacturing PMIs across the region fell further into contractionary territory in November, driven by a sharp decline in the employment index. We expect conditions to remain subdued as weaker global demand, high inflation and …
Indian manufacturing continues to buck the regional trend India’s manufacturing PMI edged up in November and continues to buck the weaker regional trend. The survey also indicates that price pressures are easing, reinforcing our view that the RBI is now …
More signs of weakness in industry The Caixin manufacturing PMI edged up in November but remained weak. Taken together with the official survey published yesterday, they suggest that downward pressure on industrial activity intensified last month. The …
More signs of weakness in industry The Caixin manufacturing PMI edged up in November but remained weak. Taken together with the official survey published yesterday, the surveys suggest that downward pressure on industrial activity intensified last month. …
Strength in capital spending won’t last Private investment rebounded last quarter and while firms’ projections at face value point to a further pick-up over the remainder of the financial year, the figures are consistent with a slowdown in real terms . …
Strength in business investment won’t last Private investment probably rebounded last quarter and while firms’ projections at face value point to a further acceleration over the remainder of the financial year, the figures are consistent with a slowdown …
Rapid worsening in affordability will continue to push down prices House prices continued to fall at a rapid rate in November and with housing affordability now the most stretched since the early 1990s, that downturn has much further to run. The 1.1% m/m …
30th November 2022
The further falls in job openings and voluntary quits in October indicate that labour market conditions are continuing to ease gradually, which should keep downward pressure on wage growth. The fall in the job openings rate to 6.3% in October left it in …
While the progressive inversion of the Treasury yield curve may seem inconsistent with the recent rebound in risky assets in the US, they had already discounted some bad news about the economy. Nonetheless, we still think there is scope for the rally in …
Fed’s Powell may push back against recent easing in financial conditions (Wed., 18.30 GMT) We think US manufacturing ISM may have slipped below 50 in November (Thu., 15.00 GMT) We will be hosting Drop-Ins on UK house prices and EM policy rates tomorrow …
Refineries may reduce output soon amid soft domestic demand Commercial crude stocks plunged as the refinery utilisation rate rose, net imports fell sharply and strategic reserve releases continued to wind down. However, signs of lower domestic product …
Economy lacking momentum The October retail sales and industrial production data for Russia tell more of the same story: an economy that has passed the worst of the downturn, but that is desperately struggling for momentum. An outright contraction in Q4 …
Croatia’s adoption of the euro on 1 st January 2023 is likely to bring only small benefits to the economy given how widely used the euro already is in the country. Even so, we think prospects for Croatia’s economy remain bright and expect it to outperform …
We hosted an online Drop-In yesterday to discuss China’s COVID outbreak and its domestic and global implications. This Update answers several of the questions that we received, some of which we couldn’t fit in during the event and some that we are …
International efforts to halt and reverse nature loss dovetail with aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by protecting and expanding so-called carbon sinks, such as forests. But this is only one part of the de-carbonisation puzzle and does not …
Higher interest rates weighing on domestic demand Core inflation pressures eased in October Bank to drop down to 25 bp hike as it balances risks of over- and under-tightening The easing of the three-month annualised measures of core inflation in October …
EM GDP rebounded in Q3, but this is unlikely to be the start of a sustained upturn. Headwinds in the form of high inflation, tight monetary policy and weak external demand will drag on growth in the coming year and our 2023 GDP forecasts are generally …
Further downgrades as yields rise and rental growth falls back The latest IPF Consensus Survey showed further significant downgrades for total returns in 2022 and 2023, as higher interest rates have boosted yields and a looming recession cuts rental …
Economy holds up in Q3, but higher rates now taking a toll While base effects caused a sharp slowdown in headline GDP growth in India in Q3 (Q2 of FY22/23), growth held up well in quarter-on-quarter terms. However, there are signs in more timely activity …
As the economy slides into a mild recession in the first half of next year, triggering a rebound in the unemployment rate to almost 5% by end-2023, the resulting slowdown in the growth rates of wages and unit labour costs will play a supporting role in …
Although we agree with the markets that the Bank of England will be patient and won’t pivot from raising interest rates to actually cutting interest rates until 2024, we think that fading inflation will force the Bank to cut rates quicker than investors …
Peak headline inflation won’t stop ECB hiking Euro-zone inflation may now be past its peak but with the core measure unchanged in November and set to remain well above 2% next year, we expect the ECB to hike rates by 50bp or 75bp in December. The fall …
Despite a sharp rise in property yields, renewed increases in alternative asset yields led to a further deterioration in European property valuations in Q3. (See Chart 1.) All markets were overvalued except for Istanbul, where sharp falls in Turkish …
Peak headline inflation won’t stop ECB hiking Euro-zone headline inflation may now be past its peak but with core inflation unchanged in November and likely to stay well above 2% throughout next year, we expect the ECB to press on with another 50bp or …
As we now think Bank Rate will peak at 4.50% next year as opposed to 5.00%, mortgage rates will be a bit lower in 2023. But ultimately, the surge in mortgage rates over the past year will leave the cost of buying a home with a mortgage exceptionally high, …
Labour market remains very tight but consumption moderating and inflation peaking Risks to our above-consensus cash rate forecast are shifting to the downside With GDP growth slowing sharply next year, we still expect rate cuts from late-2023 With …
Economy comes off the boil in Q3 Turkey’s resilience since last year’s currency crisis came to an end in Q3 as the economy contracted by 0.1% q/q. Private consumption remained strong, but fixed investment declined and net trade was a large drag. We expect …
The Bank of Thailand hiked interest rates today by a further 25bps (to 1.25%), and reiterated that it is likely to continue tightening policy gradually over the coming months. The decision was correctly predicted by 17 out of the 19 analysts polled by …
Thailand: gradual tightening cycle to continue The Bank of Thailand hiked interest rates today by a further 25bps (to 1.25%), and reiterated that it is likely to continue to tighten policy gradually over the coming months. The decision was correctly …
COVID disruptions deliver a further hit to activity The official PMIs add further evidence of another large blow to services activity as virus disruptions intensified this month. The hit to industry looks to have been more modest. But downside risks …
Inflation still set to rise further in Q4 We wouldn’t read too much into the drop in the Monthly CPI Indicator in October because the figures don’t cover the entire CPI basket, but the data suggest that inflation is about to peak. Headline inflation …
Industrial production looking to end 2022 with a whimper Industrial production saw a steeper contraction in October, while firms’ output forecasts for November and December point to a weak rebound. Industrial production contracted by a sharper 2.6% m/m in …
