US Housing Market Outlook House prices set to rise by 6% in 2016 There has been no let-up in the very tight market conditions which have characterised the housing market in recent months. With housing demand rising steadily on the back of low mortgage interest... 18th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed dovish today, but should turn more hawkish later The Fed opted to leave its key policy rate unchanged at 0.25% to 0.50% today, while also lowering its projections for the pace of future rate hikes. Nevertheless, as inflation continues to rise and... 16th March 2016 · 1 min read
Energy Data Response US Weekly Petroleum Status Report US inventories of crude oil rose for the fifth consecutive time last week, despite a fall in US oil production and an increase in inputs to refineries. What’s more, gasoline stocks declined again as... 16th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Data Response Consumer Prices & Industrial Production (Feb.) Despite lower gasoline prices weighing on headline CPI inflation, the much bigger story is the surge in core inflation to a four-year high of 2.3% in February, which illustrates that the Fed can’t... 16th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (Feb.) As expected, housing starts rose in February, following two consecutive months of declines. Homebuilders are benefitting from the combination of rising housing demand and a shortage of existing homes... 16th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Data Response Retail Sales & Producer Prices (Feb.) The February retail sales report was disappointing (taking account also of downward revisions to January data) and means that the risks to our forecast for first quarter-GDP growth of 2.5% annualised... 15th March 2016 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update People’s Bank of China now as important for markets as US Fed The March FOMC meeting is likely to conclude tomorrow with US interest rates left on hold but clear signals that hikes will resume soon. However, the timing will remain dependent both on future US... 15th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Is there a bubble in commercial property? It is questionable whether the surge in commercial property prices can be sustained. The rise in multi-family apartment prices, which explains a large part of the overall increase in commercial... 11th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Economic Outlook Higher inflation will force the Fed to act soon We are often characterised as being “bullish” on the US economy, but our economic growth forecasts are hardly upbeat. Instead, where we really differ from the consensus is in believing that even... 10th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Fed Watch Fed can’t leave rates this low for much longer Despite the clear improvement in the incoming economic data over the past month, which has triggered a reversal of the earlier tightening in financial conditions, the chance of the Fed raising... 9th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Chart Pack Mortgage interest rates drop back to under 4% The turmoil in financial markets during February led to a flight to safe assets which pushed the 10-year Treasury yield down to 1.78%, its lowest level since early 2013, and also led to a drop in... 7th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Economics Weekly Is the rise in auto loans a concern? The rapid growth of auto loans in recent years has prompted claims that the next unsustainable debt bubble is emerging. For now, however, there appears to be little cause for concern. Although the... 4th March 2016 · 1 min read
US Data Response Employment Report (Feb.) With employment rising at a rapid pace and labour market slack still shrinking, we think the Fed will resume raising interest rates in June. A marked pick-up in wage growth is still notably absent... 4th March 2016 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update What should we make of the latest decline in TIPS yields? The real yields of US Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) have fallen since the US stock market hit a trough on 11 th February. The likely explanation is that investors have become more... 3rd March 2016 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Applications (Feb.) The slight 5.2% m/m fall in mortgage applications for home purchase in February is not a sign that housing demand is tailing off. With mortgage affordability set to remain favourable and more... 2nd March 2016 · 1 min read
US Data Response ISM Manufacturing Index (Feb.) Despite the rebound in the ISM manufacturing index to a five-month high of 49.5 in February, from 48.2, the factory sector continues to be battered by the strong dollar and weak global demand. The... 1st March 2016 · 1 min read
