US Economics Update Surge in productivity growth a key upside risk The acceleration in productivity growth suggests the economy’s supply side is responding to the tightness of labour markets and the tax cuts introduced early last year. With investment growth slowing... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Global industry still struggling While composite PMIs have been overstating the weakness of overall economic activity in recent months, manufacturing PMIs have generally maintained a better relationship with the “hard” industrial... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM manufacturing PMI falls back as BRICs falter The drop in the headline EM manufacturing PMI in April was driven by weaker surveys out of all four BRIC economies. The breakdown of Markit’s aggregate EM survey showed that the rebound in EM exports... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
US Economics Update GDP growth still set to slow Neither the unexpectedly strong 3.2% gain in first-quarter GDP nor the outsized 0.7% m/m increase in real consumption in March changes our view that the US economy will experience a marked slowdown in... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Growth to rebound in Q2, before dropping back An unwinding of the temporary factors that weighed on activity in January and February means that GDP growth will rebound from 1% annualised in the first quarter to about 2.2% in the second. That... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Why are the surveys weaker than the “hard” data? The “hard” data compiled by statistical agencies and policymakers have generally been rather better in advanced economies in the past month or so than the weaker surveys of economic activity. While... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Indonesia This Briefing is a reference guide with our latest views and forecasts for Indonesia’s economy, including the prospects for key macroeconomic and financial market variables such as gross domestic... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Data Response South Africa Manufacturing PMI (Apr.) South Africa’s manufacturing PMI rose to 47.2 in April, providing a rare reason for optimism about the sector. This supports our view that economic conditions will strengthen in Q2. 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Apr.) April’s PMI data point to a sharp slowdown in industrial output in Central Europe in the coming months. The weakness in the euro-zone looks set to take a heavier toll on Czech industrial output... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Apr.) The manufacturing PMIs from Switzerland and the Nordics for April make for grim reading and suggest that economic conditions have stayed weak at the start of the second quarter. This supports our... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
RBNZ Watch Subdued data keep RBNZ on track to cut rates in May We expect the recent string of soft economic data will be enough for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) to cut rates to 1.50% when it meets next week on Wednesday 8th May. Since the RBNZ shifted... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIS (Apr.) A slight improvement in the April PMIs fits with yesterday’s trade data from Korea in suggesting that the region’s economies have passed the worst. That said, we still expect regional growth to remain... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
India Data Response Manufacturing PMI (Apr.) India’s manufacturing PMI dropped again in April, but this is not a huge cause for concern. After all, the reading is still consistent with decent manufacturing output growth and we think that the... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
US Data Response ISM Manufacturing Index (Apr.) The slump in the ISM manufacturing index to a 2½-year low in April illustrates that, after the contraction in manufacturing output in the first quarter, US factory conditions have deteriorated further... 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Will firms pass on rises in labour costs? With CPI inflation still subdued, firms’ profit margins appear to have borne the brunt of the recent rises in wage costs. However, we suspect that firms will pass on rising costs to consumers in time... 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Are the euro-zone activity surveys too pessimistic? The official euro-zone activity data for Q1 were much stronger than the message from the business and consumer surveys. But we still think that the consistent weakness of the survey evidence bodes ill... 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
