Emerging Europe Economics Focus Russia: sanctions relief and the economic implications The Trump administration’s efforts to end to the war in Ukraine has raised the prospect of sanctions relief for Russia. This Focus outlines the main sanctions currently in place and the macroeconomic... 20th March 2025 · 24 mins read
Capital Daily Two points on the Fed and the Treasury Trump Trade We still expect Treasury yields to rise by the end of the year, despite the seemingly reassuring news for bonds from the Fed on Wednesday. 20th March 2025 · 4 mins read
US Economics Update Fed continues to project two 25bp rate cuts this year Although the FOMC stuck to its projection for two rate cuts this year, a growing number of officials share our view that further loosening is unlikely amid the increased upside risks to inflation... 19th March 2025 · 3 mins read
US Rapid Response US Fed Policy Announcement (Mar. 2025) Although the FOMC stuck to its median projection for two interest rate cuts this year, some officials now share our view that further loosening is unlikely and we continue to think that Fed officials... 19th March 2025 · 2 mins read
Equities Focus A bear market could happen without a recession The recent slump in the S&P 500 raised the spectre of a bear market. But even if one happened this year – rather than next year as we have been tacitly assuming in our forecasts – in response to the... 19th March 2025 · 10 mins read
Bonds Focus Recessions, bubbles, and US high-yield spreads We don’t think US high-yield (HY) spreads would fall all the way back to their recent lows even if US recession concerns faded and a stock market bubble reinflated. And we think they would rise... 20th March 2025 · 14 mins read
US Commercial Property Update PREA consensus forecasts still well above our US CRE returns The latest PREA consensus forecasts reveal a downward revision in total returns and capital value changes across most sectors, especially for offices and industrial. However, the consensus remains... 18th March 2025 · 2 mins read
US Rapid Response US Industrial Production (Feb 2025) The rise in industrial production in February should further soothe concerns that the economy is on the cusp of recession. Nonetheless, with production supported by rebounds in motor vehicle and... 18th March 2025 · 2 mins read
Canada Rapid Response Canada Consumer Prices (Feb. 2025) The large upside surprise to CPI inflation in February, together with another set of above-target consistent gains in CPI-trim and CPI-median, reduces the chance of the Bank of Canada cutting interest... 18th March 2025 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US Housing Starts (Feb. 2025) The sharp rebound in housing starts in February and healthy permit issuance shows that the housing market is still holding up well. Nonetheless, with tariff concerns continuing to weigh on... 18th March 2025 · 2 mins read
Bonds Update Tariffs matter more for Canadian markets than the election While a notable shift in Canadian fiscal policy is likely regardless of who wins the upcoming election, we doubt this will move the needle for the loonie or Canadian government bonds, given that the... 18th March 2025 · 5 mins read
Canada Economics Update Canada Housing Watch (Mar. 2025) While unseasonably severe winter weather has undoubtedly played some role in the recent weakness of home sales, we suspect the sharp drop in house prices in February can also be blamed on the growing... 17th March 2025 · 4 mins read
Commodities Update US oil output resilient amid industry “disruption” On the face of it, the US administration’s focus on lower oil prices, even at the cost of industry “disruption,” bodes ill for US oil production. That said, our forecast for WTI to fall to $56pb by... 17th March 2025 · 3 mins read
US Rapid Response US Retail Sales (Feb. 2025) Although retail sales only edged up in February, the much larger rebound in control group sales – which feeds into the BEA’s consumption estimate – is something of a relief after the collapse in the... 17th March 2025 · 2 mins read
FX Markets Weekly Wrap FX Weekly: Dollar stabilises ahead of FOMC The dollar has stabilised after its historic tumble last week, with the DXY index set to end broadly flat on the week. At the margin, the greenback was lifted by relatively hot CPI and PPI data this... 14th March 2025 · 5 mins read
Canada Economics Weekly Canada Weekly: Tariffs cause headache for the Bank of Canada Although the Bank of Canada acknowledged the downside risks to the economy from US tariffs this week, its accompanying communications suggest that it is cautious about loosening policy much further. 14th March 2025 · 7 mins read