Asia Economics Update Thailand: rates on hold, no tightening likely in 2019 The Bank of Thailand (BoT) left interest rates on hold today, but sounded surprisingly upbeat on the outlook for the economy. While this suggests that a further rate hike cannot be entirely ruled out... 6th February 2019 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Indonesia GDP (Q4) Official figures show GDP growth in Indonesia was unchanged at 5.2% y/y in the final quarter of the year, but with exports set to slow and monetary policy likely to be tightened further, we think... 6th February 2019 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Dec.) The acceleration in broad money growth to a six-year high in December should put to rest any lingering concerns about the impact of the Fed’s balance sheet run-down on the economy. 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Capital Daily Strong US labour market doesn’t preclude a weaker stock market 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed’s new-found dovishness won’t prevent slowdown Even if the Fed has stopped hiking interest rates sooner than we originally envisaged, we doubt that will prevent a marked economic slowdown this year. After all, that dovishness was partly prompted... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Waiting for the handbrake to be released Brexit is a political crisis, not an economic one. While the extra uncertainty caused by Brexit has clearly hampered investment and consumption, the economy is fundamentally sound. There are still... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Rally in EM local currency bonds likely to fizzle out This week’s flurry of EM central bank meetings will probably add to the signs that the shift towards tighter monetary policy in much of the emerging world is nearing an end. Even so, we doubt that the... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy’s debt-to-GDP ratio will soon start to rise Italy’s economy would need to grow more quickly than it has over the past twenty years to prevent the public debt ratio from rising. Given the country’s demographics and poor productivity performance... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Bank of Canada too optimistic on wage growth With wages boosted last year by minimum wage hikes and the labour market now facing several headwinds, we doubt that a meaningful pick-up in wage growth is on the cards for 2019. 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Markit/CIPS Services PMI (Jan.) The headline index of the Markit/CIPS services survey in January suggests that the slowdown which began in Q4 worsened at the start of Q1. And worries about future demand now appear to be seeping into... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Dec.) & Final PMIs (Jan.) Retail sales figures for December were no worse than expected, and upward revisions to the data for October and November show that sales actually rose by 0.6% in Q4 as a whole. However, the final PMIs... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Is owner occupation at an inflection point? The rise in owner occupation recorded in the English Housing Survey is probably more than just noise. And with a revival in buy-to-let unlikely, that trend looks set to persist, suggesting that owner... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Metals Chart Pack Widespread rally, but too good to last Prices of base and precious metals, along with iron ore, have risen robustly so far in 2019 but we believe that prices will diverge sooner rather than later. We expect the prices of industrial metals... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update The next downturn: lessons from Japan Faced with a severe downturn, developed economies would exhaust their conventional monetary policy tools quickly. At first sight, Japan’s experience suggests that even the bold use of unconventional... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Jan.) January’s PMIs point to stronger growth in the Gulf but we doubt that this will last as oil prices drop back and fiscal consolidation resumes. Elsewhere, inflation pressures in Egypt continued to... 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Energy Chart Pack Oil output cuts are working, for now The price of oil rose strongly in January and is likely to remain supported in the coming months by the OPEC+ output cuts and the risk of severe disruption to Venezuela’s production. However, we think... 4th February 2019 · 1 min read
