Romania will elect a new government over the coming weeks at a time when the economy is performing poorly, inflation is running above target, and macroeconomic stability depends on policymakers pushing through much-needed fiscal consolidation. The most …
21st November 2024
Modest rise in homes sales does not mark the start of the recovery The modest rise in existing home sales in October reflects the earlier drop in mortgage rates over the summer and is unlikely to be repeated, as borrowing costs have since rebounded to 7%. …
The South African Reserve Bank’s decision to lower its repo rate by 25bp to 7.75% was not a surprise and Governor Kganyago sounded more optimistic that inflation is under control. Lingering concerns about the vulnerability of the rand and the growing …
Given our expectation that the Trump administration will push forward with plans to raise tariffs across the board, we have generally revised down our forecasts for stock markets outside the US. And with China being the main target of the trade war, we …
We don’t think the S&P 500’s AI tailwind has run out of puff yet, despite the seemingly lukewarm market reaction to Nvidia’s latest profit result. It’s tempting to see a warning sign for the broader market in the reaction to Nvidia’s latest profit …
Egypt’s policy agenda shifts to long term reforms With Egypt’s macroeconomic stability restored, officials are starting to turn their attention to longer term reforms and number one on the list appears to be reinvigorating the stalled privatisation drive. …
Interest rate cuts still a few months away (at least) The communications accompanying the decision by the Turkish central bank (CBRT) to leave its policy rate unchanged again today, at 50.00%, suggest that analysts’ expectations for an easing cycle to …
US President-elect Trump’s protectionist rhetoric may mean that African sovereigns are contemplating the loss of preferential trade access to the US via the AGOA scheme. We think the overall impact from such a move would be limited, but specific sectors …
The re-election of Donald Trump portends a radically different outlook for emerging markets, with some facing increased challenges from the president-elect’s policy pledges and others looking better placed to benefit from the fallout of an intensified …
Morocco’s weaker economic performance this year is likely to be a blip. Buoyed by low and stable inflation, looser monetary policy, and a burgeoning manufacturing sector, we expect Morocco’s economy to grow by around 5% in 2025 and 2026, which is faster …
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack (Q4 2024) …
Friendshoring into India has for the most part been limited to high-end manufactured goods, but broader supply chain reconfiguration into the country could take place if the Trump administration imposes a 60% tariff on China. Trump has also been critical …
We have updated this page with additional analysis since first publication. Disappointing borrowing figures highlight Chancellor’s lack of wiggle room October’s disappointing public finances figures underline the fiscal challenge that the Chancellor still …
Our ANZ Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. The Antipodean central banks will tread different paths on policy over the forecast horizon. With the New Zealand economy in a tailspin and inflation well …
Retail has suffered some severe blows over the last decade, but the nadir for the sector seems to have passed and for some time we have been talking about recovery ahead, albeit a weak one. In this note, we extend our analysis to the largest US city …
20th November 2024
Inflation has picked up in the UK but, unlike in the US, we doubt that any worries about stronger price pressures will be sustained. That’s why we still expect Gilt yields to fall. UK CPI inflation , released earlier today, went back above the Bank of …
The experience of the first Trump administration suggests that other countries will retaliate to the imposition of new US tariffs but in a way that is measured and minimises the risk of escalating tensions with Washington. The imposition of …
Our new forecast that Bank Rate will fall slower and not as far means that we now think mortgage rates will decline from 4.4% in October to 3.9% by the end of 2026, rather than to 3.5%. But we still think that mortgage rates will fall by more than most …
We held a series of client meetings in the US last week which focused on the implications of Trump’s victory in the US election and the spillovers to EMs. This Update answers some of the most frequent and important questions that came up. What impact will …
The slump in the participation rate this year at least partly reflects the cyclical weakness of hiring, which means that the labour market is weaker than the unemployment rate alone might suggest. The silver lining is that an eventual rebound in …
A year ago, we published an in-depth report arguing that the calm prevailing at the time around sovereign debt risks in Latin America wouldn’t last and that public debt dynamics would deteriorate. While there have been some positive stories (Argentina, to …
South Africa’s activity data for September points to a subdued end to Q3, but we think this softer patch will be short-lived as low inflation and the SARB’s easing cycle provide some support to demand. That said, tight fiscal policy will prevent the …
The jump in euro-zone negotiated wage growth in Q3, to a record high of 5.4%, was mostly due to one-off payments in Germany. Wage growth elsewhere was little changed. With headline inflation around 2% and the labour market loosening, wage growth is very …
The recovery in euro-zone real estate investment has been weak in 2024, with total activity in the first three quarters little changed on 2023’s near-record-lows. However, prospects for 2025 are brighter. We think investment will rise 25% y/y as interest …
China’s green export volumes rose in October and were just 3% shy of the record high reached in August. Chinese battery makers could be hit hard by President-elect Trump’s tariff proposals. But the surge in battery exports following the announcement of a …
Sharp drop in inflation sets the stage for 25bp cut tomorrow The drop in South Africa’s headline inflation, to 2.8% y/y, in October, will make it harder for the SARB to strike a hawkish tone regarding inflation pressures at its monetary policy committee …
Policy easing to resume in the second half of next year Bank Indonesia today left interest rates on hold at 6.00%, and we don’t think it will be until the second half of next year that the central bank resumes its easing cycle. The decision was broadly …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Surprisingly big rebound suggests BoE will leave rates at 4.75% in December October’s surprisingly large rebound in CPI inflation from 1.7% to 2.3% (CE 2.1%, consensus & BoE …
We expect the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to cut its policy rate by 50bp, to 4.25%, at its meeting next week. With inflation back at target, the labour market loosening rapidly and activity in the doldrums, there continues to be a compelling case for the …
Artificial intelligence (AI) is still not being used very widely outside of the ICT sector. But we remain confident that, in time, it has the potential to be used across all sectors and industries. Surveys of firms in the US and EU show that AI usage is …
19th November 2024
Our senior economists hosted an online briefing to discuss the final Fed, ECB and Bank of England decisions of 2024. During the session they highlighted key takeaways from the latest communications and addressed key issues, including: What inflation and …
How will Donald Trump’s programme for government shape the outlook for growth and inflation in the US and beyond? Is the world facing a new and even more dangerous trade war in 2025? And how will financial markets respond with the US under new – and …
New immigration targets threaten nascent recovery Lower mortgage rates appear to be finally sparking a recovery in the housing market, with home sales soaring to a two-and-a-half-year high last month and the sales-to-new listing ratio now pointing to …
We doubt upward pressure on Japan’s long-term bond yields will persist for long, as the Bank of Japan tightens policy by less than investors anticipate and yields in the US remain quite stable. The 10-year JGB yield has risen a lot since October. Despite …
Services inflation in the euro-zone has been stuck around 4% for the past 12 months, but there are good reasons to expect it to decline significantly next year. We think that core inflation will continue to edge down in 2025 and the headline rate will …
The latest data suggest that Colombia and Chile underperformed Peru’s economy in Q3. Looking ahead, we think that lower prices for key commodity exports combined with relatively tight fiscal stances will offset any the favourable effect from looser …
Starts hit by hurricanes The decline in housing starts in October was exactly as we had expected given the hit to construction in the South from recent hurricanes and should partially reverse in November. Beyond this, we think the recent rebound in new …
Upside surprise not only due to property tax update With headline inflation still at target and given the Bank’s recent emphasis on the need to ensure that GDP growth and the labour market pick up again, the upside surprise to core inflation in October …
Recession not enough for MNB to resume easing The Hungarian central bank (MNB) left its base rate on hold again today, at 6.50%, despite the economy having just fallen back into recession. We think that the easing cycle will remain on pause over the next …
The larger and faster pace of ECB rate cuts we now expect means euro-zone government bond yields are likely to be lower in the coming years than previously forecast. This is positive for property valuations and means property yields could fall by more in …
Higher US interest rates will probably continue to weigh on government bonds globally. But we still expect bond yields in most developed market (DM) economies to fall back by the end of 2025, as domestic monetary policy eases further. Sovereign yields …
While we expect the RBNZ to cut interest rates by the most since the GFC over the coming year, housing affordability was never as stretched at the start of an easing cycle as it was at the start of the current one. Accordingly, we only expect house prices …
RBA still in “wait and watch” mode With the RBA maintaining its neutral stance, we’re sticking to our view that the Bank won’t begin cutting rates before Q2 2025. The minutes of the RBA’s November meeting confirmed that the decision to leaves interest …
Although last week’s pull-back in the S&P 500 coincided with a big increase in the 10-year TIPS yield, we don’t think this marks the start of prolonged period of weakness in US equities driven by government bonds. Our view is that the S&P 500 will resume …
18th November 2024
