Korea strike highlights inflexible labour market A trade union representing approximately 30,000 workers at Samsung Electronics this week urged its members to take part in an indefinite strike. The announcement was made on Wednesday, which was supposed …
12th July 2024
Credit growth hits a new low Both bank loan and broad credit growth hit a record low in June. While further fiscal loosening may provide some support to credit growth in the near-term, the continued weakness of the property sector means that any increase …
Recent protests in Kenya have dealt a heavy blow to President Ruto’s fiscal consolidation plans and, with the president dismissing the cabinet yesterday as he tries to cling on to power, it looks increasingly likely that the government will struggle to …
Full Budget a key test for new government The Finance Ministry confirmed this week that the full Union Budget for FY24/25 will be unveiled on Tuesday, 23 rd July (recall that during election years, an “interim” Budget is held in February). We’ll be …
Inflation drops sharply and will remain below 2% over coming months The Riksbank’s target measure of inflation, CPIF, dropped to just 1.3% in June, almost half the level in May and the lowest level since the end of 2020. This was far below the consensus …
RBA will be content to play the waiting game Financial markets have increasingly been paring back their interest rate expectations for the RBA. They are now pricing in a roughly 20% chance that the Bank will hike rates by 25bp this year, down sharply from …
Goods inflation set to remain strong Data released this week showed that producer price inflation has jumped from 0.3% in January to 2.9% in June, though the bulk of that increase is due to a rebound in electricity & gas inflation. Producer prices of …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication Tailwind from strong exports set to persist Export values grew y/y at the fastest pace in 15 months, with export volumes hitting record highs. We think exports will stay robust in …
GDP growth in Singapore remained below trend during the second quarter and we expect this to persist in the near term as the cooling labour market, elevated interest rates and weak global growth curtail activity. According to the first estimate of Q2 GDP …
Still elevated wage growth is partly due to earlier large gains in public sector pay, which are unlikely to be repeated. There are tentative signs that private sector wage growth is slowing, and the wider evidence suggests this process should gather pace …
11th July 2024
It is not clear that Donald Trump, if elected, would gain much from trying to force Fed Chair Jerome Powell out of the role only a year before his term expires anyway. Trump might instead focus his efforts on securing Senate approval for future …
Senior economists from across our macro services held their regular dive into the latest policy meetings from these major DM central banks. During this 20-minute briefing, shortly after the Bank of England’s August decision, the team gave their insight …
Net capital inflows into EMs remained positive over the past month, largely reflecting continued strong inflows into EM bonds, particularly Turkey, while there were out flows post-election in Mexico and South Africa. Policy turnarounds in some EMs and …
The economic impact of Saudi’s new pension age New pension directives laid out in Saudi Arabia have raised the retirement age in the Kingdom. The potential boost to the size of the labour force could strengthen GDP growth over the coming decades. The …
No change in interest rates and no new guidance. Emphasis will be on continued strength of underlying inflation. Rate cut in September still likely, but isn’t nailed on. The ECB is likely to leave the deposit rate on hold at 3.75% next week and refrain …
The continued weakness of the renminbi and the yen against the US dollar despite the narrowing of interest rate differentials via-a-vis the US is something of a conundrum, but our sense remains that both currencies will rebound against the dollar later …
Another fairly encouraging US CPI report seems unlikely to blow the buoyant S&P 500 far off course given the implications for Fed policy. Indeed, it strengthens the case for a rate cut in September. Our base case is that the economic backdrop will remain …
We anticipate the spread between 10-year Swiss and German government bond yields, which has widened significantly since 2022, will narrow only slightly over the next couple of years. The spread between 10-year Swiss and German government bond yields has …
Saudi Arabia’s GDP growth is likely to pick up, and markedly so in 2025. But that will be driven by rising oil output. We think that activity in the non-oil economy will slow. Indeed, there are signs in the low-profile data that this has already started …
A narrowing of the current account deficit and a decline in the share of government bonds held by non-residents means the rupiah is much less exposed to sudden shifts in global risk appetite than in the past. This should ensure that the currency performs …
CPI qualifies as ‘more good data’ The muted 0.1% m/m increase in core CPI in June strengthens the case for a September rate cut although, while a lot still depends on the PPI data due tomorrow, our initial estimate is that the core PCE deflator increased …
The downgrading of Sweden’s SBB to selective default last week is the latest development for a property market that has faced some of the most acute debt refinancing pressure in Europe. The saga will rumble on as large debt maturities loom, but the risk …
While the debate around China’s manufacturing overcapacity has centred around politically sensitive topics such as electric vehicles, its industrial metals sector is no exception. Whereas the focus of the broader macro debate revolves around market share, …
With shifting Japanese inflation dynamics likely to shrink the Bank of Japan’s opportunity to tighten policy in the coming months, we think its July meeting will end with a decision to raise interest rates for the second – and final – time this year. But …
On hold, central bank in no rush to cut rates Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) left its overnight policy rate (OPR) on hold (at 3.00%) today, and the tone of the statement supports our view that rates will be left unchanged throughout 2024. The decision was …
Revival unlikely to materialise as soon as surveyors hope While demand continued to slip back in June, surveyors were optimistic it would soon pick up. Given elevated mortgage rates we suspect the market will disappoint those expectations in the near …
The Bank of Korea left its policy rate unchanged today at 3.5%, but dropped clear hints that interest rate cuts would be coming soon. With growth set to struggle and inflation likely to fall further, we are maintaining our view the central bank will cut …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Economic recovery continues to strengthen The stronger-than-expected 0.4% m/m rise in GDP in May (consensus forecast 0.2%, CE forecast 0.3%) will be welcomed by the new …
Interest rates left unchanged, but easing likely before year-end The decision by the Bank of Korea to leave interest rates unchanged (at 3.5%) today came as no surprise, but of more interest will be the tone of Governor Rhee’s press conference and the …
Inflation strengthens, rate hike baked in later this month The rise in Russian inflation to 8.6% y/y in June, alongside weekly figures suggesting that an even larger rise is possible in July, seals the deal on an interest rate hike later this month. We …
10th July 2024
UK employment has faltered of late and, though growth is expected to improve, no return to the buoyancy of the recent past is in prospect. While headcount has become a weaker indicator of office floorspace needs, the jobs outlook reinforces our view of a …
It is not inevitable that the economic malaise of the past 20-30 years will continue over the next decade. Some of the cyclical forces that have lowered the UK’s economic growth rate will fade and new structural ones, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), …
We think that corporate bonds will continue to underperform equities, as credit spreads are already low, economic growth moderates, and equities benefit more from enthusiasm about AI. After spiking in the first two weeks of June, credit spreads have …
At first sight, the latest CPI data out of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) might seem to provide central banks reason for comfort. But a look under the surface paints a more worrying picture: underlying core price pressures in some countries have re …
Inflation increases again, Copom in no mood to restart easing The rise in Brazil’s headline inflation rate to 4.2% y/y in June was a little softer than expected but the recent weakness in the real and mounting fiscal concerns means that there is no chance …
Hydrogen could play a key role in reducing emissions in hard-to-abate sectors such as steelmaking and be a boon for countries and regions that are well placed to produce a surplus of renewable power. But hydrogen is not the best option in many …
Shipping costs have now risen far enough to start adding to global CPI inflation. However, so far, the boost to prices is probably only in the region of 0.1%, on average. What’s more, surging freight rates to some extent reflect a shift in demand towards …
Inflation falls despite bread price hikes Egypt’s headline inflation slowed from 28.1% y/y in May to 27.5% y/y in June, the lowest outturn since the start of 2023. And this came in spite of the baladi bread price hike. Increases to electricity and fuel …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Inflation falls further than Norges Bank predicted The continued decline in inflation in Norway supports our view that Norges Bank will start cutting interest rates before the …
The recent rise in public spending and fall in revenues has sent the Indonesian government’s budget deficit veering towards the constitutional 3% of GDP limit. And it’s unclear how the president-elect will be able to enact his ambitious welfare plans …
Exports from Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam have surged over the past 18 months, thanks to strong demand for AI-related products and friendshoring. In contrast, shipments from the rest of the region have struggled. We expect this divergence to continue over …
RBNZ strikes some dovish notes Although it left the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 5.50%, the RBNZ sounded rather dovish in its commentary. The Committee’s messaging gives us greater confidence that the Bank will commence its easing cycle in November. …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Persistent overcapacity will keep inflation low Consumer price inflation edged down in June. Producer price deflation eased but this was entirely due to base effects. We still …
While there are tentative signs that Japan’s economy is becoming more dynamic, this has yet to produce significant improvements in aggregate productivity. We still think that a more meaningful pick-up in productivity growth will only happen towards the …
The legacy of the post-pandemic industrial construction boom is now being felt in rising supply across most markets. With the demand outlook stabilising, we think the evolution of supply will shape rental trends in the near term and that markets like …
9th July 2024
In the wake of the political tumult in France contrasting with newfound stability in the UK, the outlook for the exchange rate between the euro and sterling has come into spotlight. We think that yield differentials will play a much more important role …
The latest data suggest that the recovery in euro-zone activity will continue – notwithstanding the uncertainty created by France’s snap election. The euro-zone labour market is tight, with unemployment at a record low and wage growth picking up in Q1. …
Turkey’s economy has maintained strong external price competitiveness since the pandemic (mirrored by rapid export growth). But measures of competitiveness have shown a noticeable decline in the past year and will deteriorate further against a backdrop of …
