Global Markets Update Donald Trump, not the Fed, to blame for a strong dollar Donald Trump’s assertion on Twitter yesterday that a “way too high” Fed interest rate was responsible for a “devalued” euro and other currencies against the dollar is wrong, at least when it comes to... 12th June 2019 · 1 min read
US Data Response Consumer Prices (May) The subdued 0.1% gain in core consumer prices in May extends a run of weaker gains, underlining the lack of significant inflationary pressures a decade into this expansion. Subdued growth in unit... 12th June 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Update A poor harvest unlikely to boost corn prices further At first glance, the USDA’s latest set of projections appear bullish for the price of corn. However, we think that much of this is already priced in and as such we are not changing our corn price... 12th June 2019 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update US-China trade war prompts cuts to our forecasts We have now factored into our forecasts a ratcheting-up of trade tensions between the US and China over the next year. Given this, we have shaved our projections for the prices of some metals. However... 11th June 2019 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Recent setback for the US dollar likely to be temporary Although the US dollar has pulled back over the past fortnight, we expect it to strengthen once more against most major currencies in the second half of this year as the global economy slows. 11th June 2019 · 1 min read
Commodities Update Implications for oil of an escalation in the trade war We have now incorporated an escalation in the US-China trade war into our global economic forecasts. As it happens, we think that the negative impact on global GDP growth will be relatively contained... 10th June 2019 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Chart Pack Mortgage rates set to drop to 2½-year lows Mortgage interest rates are set to fall to their lowest level since the end of 2016, but that will not trigger a surge in housing market activity. Concerns over the health of the economy means home... 10th June 2019 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update The US steel price bloodbath is not over yet US steel prices have tumbled by more than a third over the past year and we think that a weaker US economy, combined with rising imports, means prices should fall by a further 15% over the next year. 7th June 2019 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Trade war escalates with economy already weakening This week we formally incorporated a further escalation of the US-China trade dispute into our baseline macro forecasts, shaving 0.2% points off US GDP growth both this year and next, taking us to 2.2... 7th June 2019 · 1 min read
US Data Response Employment Report (May) The soft 75,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in May wasn’t quite as bad as the dismal ADP employment reading earlier this week, but it is another sign that economic growth is slowing. On balance, we... 7th June 2019 · 1 min read
DM Valuations Monitor Valuations unlikely to keep supporting equities this year We do not think that the valuations of equities are unsustainably high. Nonetheless, we still expect that stock markets in the US and in the rest of the developed world will slump later this year... 7th June 2019 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Mexico tariffs pose significant risk for the autos sector The impact on prices of a 25% tariff on Mexican imports would be partly offset by a sharp drop in the peso. But the potential disruption to the motor vehicle industry, which relies on a continued flow... 7th June 2019 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Escalation of trade war to raise hit to global GDP to 0.5% We have now incorporated a further escalation in the US-China trade war into our baseline forecasts. On its own, this is unlikely to have a major impact on global GDP growth. But combined with... 6th June 2019 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Factoring the escalating trade war into our forecasts We are now incorporating a further escalation in the trade war with China into our global forecasts. We think that will knock a few tenths off annual US GDP growth this year and next. Core PCE... 6th June 2019 · 1 min read
China Economics Update Preparing for a long trade war A deal to end the US-China trade dispute appears further away than ever. We now expect all US goods imports from China to be subject to a 25% tariff by early next year. China is likely to respond with... 6th June 2019 · 1 min read
US Data Response International Trade (Apr.) The trade deficit narrowed in April, but only because imports fell more than exports. As a result, after providing a big boost in the first quarter, we expect net external trade to have a neutral... 6th June 2019 · 1 min read
