US Data Response ISM Manufacturing Index (Aug.) The details of the small rise in the headline ISM manufacturing index in August to 59.9, from 59.5, suggest demand remains strong and that, while some of the recent price pressures have faded, supply... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Bank of Canada Watch Bank to keep policy unchanged as recovery stalls The unexpected contraction in second-quarter GDP means the Bank of Canada is likely to wait until October before reducing the pace of its asset purchases again, rather than pushing ahead with tapering... 1st September 2021 · 7 mins read
Latin America Data Response Brazil GDP (Q2 2021) Brazil’s GDP contracted by 0.1% q/q in Q2 but, with virus cases falling sharply, it looks like Q3 will be a lot stronger. We doubt that the fall in output last quarter will have much bearing on the... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response EZ Unemployment (Jul.) & Final Mfg PMIs (Aug.) The fall in euro-zone unemployment in July appears to be down to a decline in the overall labour force rather than an increase in employment, highlighting that the labour market recovery still has a... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Africa Data Response South Africa Manufacturing PMI (Aug.) South Africa’s manufacturing PMI bounced back last month following a sharp drop in activity in July on the back of violent unrest and tighter virus containment measures. But persistent headwinds will... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Riksbank to take a chance on “QT” next year Housing market valuations in Sweden are even more stretched than on past occasions when the Riksbank has “leant against the wind” – that is, set policy tighter than needed to contain consumer price... 1st September 2021 · 17 mins read
Emerging Europe Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (August) The PMIs for August suggest that manufacturing conditions have softened in Q3 as output and new orders fell further from their recent highs. More than anything, it looks like conditions are... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Emerging Europe Data Response Turkey GDP (Q2 2021) A strong rebound from May’s three-week lockdown meant that Turkey’s economy managed to expand by 0.9% q/q over Q2 as a whole and the early signs are that it carried this momentum into Q3. Robust... 1st September 2021 · 3 mins read
India Data Response Manufacturing PMI (Aug.) The drop in India’s manufacturing PMI in August is probably just a sign of activity normalising following the strong pace of recovery in recent months. But the threat of further virus waves remains a... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
RBA Watch RBA to stay the course The health situation in Australia continues to deteriorate, but the acceleration in the vaccine rollout means that lockdowns probably won’t last much longer. The Bank doesn’t believe that stepping up... 1st September 2021 · 8 mins read
China Data Response China Caixin Manufacturing PMI (Aug.) The Caixin manufacturing index dropped to an 18-month low in August, adding to signs from the official PMI released yesterday that industry is coming off the boil. The surveys point to worsening... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Australia & New Zealand Data Response Australia GDP (Q2 2021) The further rise in GDP in Q2 was broadly in line with the RBA’s expectations and we suspect the Bank will press ahead with tapering its asset purchases this month. 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Aug.) Falling output indices in Korea and Taiwan suggest that the virus disruption in South East Asia is reverberating across the region. The end of supply chain shortages continues to slip further out of... 1st September 2021 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Delta variant not weighing on Italian recovery Data released today confirmed that the Italian economy grew strongly in Q2, supporting our above-consensus forecast for the year as a whole. Timelier data suggest that concerns about the Delta variant... 31st August 2021 · 3 mins read
Canada Data Response GDP (Q2) The unexpected fall in second-quarter GDP means that there is little chance the Bank of Canada will press on with its tapering plans next week, particularly as the preliminary estimate implies GDP... 31st August 2021 · 3 mins read
Asia Chart Pack Exports won’t come to the rescue in H2 Q2 GDP data released over the past month or so did not show a repeat of the across-the-board rises in exports seen in previous quarters, but the external sector still proved an important prop to GDP... 31st August 2021 · 13 mins read
