Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus No end in sight to “lowflation” in Switzerland After almost five years of deflation, consumer prices are finally rising in Switzerland. But much of this has reflected higher energy costs, while underlying price pressures are still very weak. We... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Applications (Sep.) Since the end of August, the 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate has risen by 16bps, to stand at 4.96% in the final week of September. Given that, the corresponding 0.9% m/m rise in mortgage... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update When will the BCB shift to tightening? The timing of the Brazilian central bank’s first interest rate hike is likely to be determined by politics as much as economics. There’s a lot of uncertainty related to the outcome of the Presidential... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Iceland’s central bank signals higher rates on the cards Although the Central Bank of Iceland left monetary policy unchanged today, it reiterated that it was prepared to take action if inflation expectations rise further. We think that this is likely and... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Markit/CIPS Services PMI (Sep.) The drop back in September’s Markit/CIPS report on services was a little disappointing but a bit of a fall was expected after a large jump in August. The bigger picture is that growth in the services... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Aug.) & Final PMIs (Sep.) August’s euro-zone retail sales data suggest that spending growth failed to gain pace in Q3, but there are good reasons to think that sales volumes will accelerate as inflation falls in the months... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Sep.) Last month’s PMI data paint a mixed picture in the Gulf but we expect growth in non-oil sectors to pick up over the coming months on the back of fiscal stimulus. Elsewhere, the survey in Egypt... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update What does that latest jump in oil prices mean for EMs? The rise in oil prices to $85pb brings most major oil producers’ budgets close to balance (and in a few cases a large surplus) and could open the door for fiscal policy to be loosened in a few... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Turkey Consumer Prices (Sep.) The larger-than-expected rise in Turkish inflation to 24.5% y/y in September increases the chances of another interest rate hike at this month’s MPC meeting. But given the scale of last month’s rate... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy’s banks still the weakest link Amid the concern about the state of Italy’s public finances, the banks remain the country’s weakest link. Indeed, despite improvements over the past few years, the banking sector is still too weak to... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Industrial commodities rally, but too good to last Commodity prices jumped in the second half of the month despite a stronger US dollar. Concerns about Iranian production and news that OPEC didn’t increase output at one of its technical meetings meant... 2nd October 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek budget highlights risk of fiscal slippage Greece’s draft budget for 2019 suggests that the country is taking its fiscal targets much more seriously than Italy. But a closer look at the proposed measures implies some fiscal slippage, which... 2nd October 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Assessing the impact of higher oil prices We don’t expect the recent jump in oil prices to be sustained but if we are wrong and prices stay at $85pb, annual export revenues in the Gulf would be $200bn higher than in 2017. Governments would... 2nd October 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Lyon offices to benefit from pickup in French growth The French economy has disappointed so far this year, but we expect stronger growth in the second half of the year and into 2019. This will be positive for the regional office markets such as Lyon... 2nd October 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update Oil at $85 will prove unsustainable The price of Brent crude nudged $85 per barrel today, reflecting concerns about the re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran. However, we remain of the view that supply from other OPEC and non-OPEC... 2nd October 2018 · 1 min read
