UK Economics Update Shift to a bigger state won’t curtail GDP growth While the shift towards higher taxes and spending after the pandemic appears to be here to stay, there is little to suggest an expanded state would curtail GDP growth. But without supply-side reforms... 10th January 2023 · 5 mins read
UK Economics Focus What would a Labour government mean for the economy? Labour’s big lead in the polls raises the question of what difference a Labour government would make to the economic outlook. The answer is probably not much. A tight grip on the public finances is... 9th January 2023 · 26 mins read
Europe Data Response EZ Unemployment (Nov.) and Sentix Survey (Jan.) The stability of the euro-zone unemployment rate in November, at a record low of 6.5%, shows that the labour market held up even better than we expected at the end of last year. And the third... 9th January 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Update 2023 will see a difficult adjustment to higher rates Mortgage rates have probably now peaked, but they remain at a level that makes further steep falls in house prices and a slump in housing market activity inevitable this year. If anything, the hard... 9th January 2023 · 5 mins read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production (Nov.) The rise in German industrial output in November confirms that industrial output held up better than we had expected in Q4. However, while the recent slump in gas prices should help energy-intensive... 9th January 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Economics Weekly UK’s business investment position will get even worse UK investment is already languishing well below that of its G7 counterparts and we suspect its investment and productivity position will worsen relative to its peers by the end of 2024. This raises... 6th January 2023 · 8 mins read
Global Markets Update Despite hawkish ECB, we expect lower E-Z yields While we think the hawkish ECB poses a near-term threat to euro-zone government bonds, we still expect their yields to be lower, in general, by the end of this year. Drop-Ins – The World In 2023 (10... 6th January 2023 · 4 mins read
Emerging Europe Economics Weekly Europe’s energy crisis losing its bite The narrative surrounding Europe's energy crisis has shifted in recent weeks as warmer-than-normal winter temperatures have reduced heating demand, gas stocks have remained at high levels and gas... 6th January 2023 · 8 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update The key developments to look out for in 2023 The property repricing in response to higher interest rates has not yet run its course. Coupled with a recession-driven slowdown in rent growth, this means 2023 is shaping up to be another bleak year... 6th January 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Some (moderately) good news on inflation and activity Data released this week suggest that headline inflation in the euro-zone has passed its peak, but that core price pressures remain strong. Meanwhile, the latest activity indicators have been a bit... 6th January 2023 · 7 mins read
UK Economics Update Cooling wholesale gas price to aid the economy The recent plunge in wholesale gas prices means that utility prices for households may fall below the government’s price freeze in July. As a result, CPI inflation will be around 0.3 percentage points... 6th January 2023 · 6 mins read
UK Commercial Property Data Response S&P Global/CIPS Construction PMI (Dec.) The headline CIPS construction index fell below 50 in December, indicating a contraction in activity, as the recession hit demand and developers’ concerns about capital values increased. With both... 6th January 2023 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response EZ Retail Sales (Nov.) Final HICP and ESI (Dec.) The fall in inflation and improvement in economic sentiment in December suggest that the euro-zone’s case of stagflation is not quite as acute as feared a few months ago. Nonetheless, a technical... 6th January 2023 · 2 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Euro-zone Inflation and EC Survey (Dec.), Retail Sales (Nov.) 6th January 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Halifax House Prices (Dec.) The further large fall in house prices recorded by Halifax in December suggests that the house price correction is further advanced than we previously thought. Indeed, while the Nationwide figures... 6th January 2023 · 2 mins read