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February 21, 2025

U.S. February Michigan CSI revised lower as inflation expectations rise, January Existing Home Sales fall
Paying Article

February 21, 2025 3:32 PM UTC

A 4.9% rise in January existing home sales is consistent with recent gains in housing activity fading as Fed easing expectations fade, but weather may have also played a part. Revised February Michigan CSI data shows 5-10 year inflation expectations picking up significantly, now at 3.5% from a preli

U.S. February S&P PMIs - Manufacturing extends upturn but Services turn negative
Paying Article

February 21, 2025 2:57 PM UTC

February’s preliminary S and P PMIs are mixed, with manufacturing modestly extending a recent upturn in rising to 51.6 from 51.2, but more significantly services seeing a dip below neutral, to 49.7 from 52.9.

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Eurozone: More Sobering Economic News
Freemium Article

February 21, 2025 10:21 AM UTC

The February composite PMI data may have not fallen (stable at 50.2) and the weaker-than-expected outcome was dominated by sharp addition weakness in France, but the data will be uncomfortable reading for the ECB.   The data very much suggest that the better news regarding EZ consumer spending see

February 20, 2025

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Argentina: Primary Surpluses Continues
Paying Article

February 20, 2025 6:18 PM UTC

Argentina’s fiscal anchor under Milei remains the key stabilizer, with inflation gradually declining and the crawling peg rate cut to 1% monthly. A primary surplus of USD 8 billion was achieved in 2024 through spending cuts, while capital controls and IMF support help manage low reserves. For 2025

U.S. Initial Claims up but still low, February Philly Fed slower but still positive
Paying Article

February 20, 2025 1:55 PM UTC

Initial claims at 219k from 214k and continued claims at 1.869m from 1.845m are both up but marginally below the respective levels of two weeks ago, of 220k and 1.886m.  February’s Philly Fed manufacturing index of 18.1 is still healthy if down sharply from January’s very strong 44.3.

February 19, 2025

U.S. January Housing Starts and Permits - Stable underlying picture but with downside risk
Paying Article

February 19, 2025 1:45 PM UTC

January housing starts have seen a steep 9.8% decline to 1366k but the outcome is only modestly below expectations and may be weather-related. Permits are virtually unchanged, up by 0.1% to 1483k, suggesting a stable underlying picture, but there may be downside risks going forward.

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UK CPI Review: Inflation Jumps and Broadly So But Still Some Promising Wage Signs?
Freemium Article

February 19, 2025 7:44 AM UTC

January’s CPI numbers showed a marked bounce back up, and with the 0.5 ppt rise taking it to a 10-month high of 3.0%, this being above consensus and BoE thinking.  Notably services jumped from 4.4% to 5.0%, actually below expectations, having been driven higher by a swing in airfares and the rise

February 18, 2025

U.S. February NAHB Homebuilders Index - Future expectations lead slowing
Paying Article

February 18, 2025 3:09 PM UTC

February’s NAHB homebuilders’ index has seen a significant slowing to 42 from 47, a break from a recently rising trend which is probably connected to fading expectations for Fed easing. 

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UK: Mixed Labor Market Signals – Yet Again
Paying Article

February 18, 2025 7:56 AM UTC

There is little in the latest UK labor market numbers that will ease any concerns of the BoE policy hawks.  Admittedly, inactivity and vacancies fell, both suggesting some easing in the labor market, although the former is as suspect as the (still apparently rising) ONS employment numbers due to qu

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RBA Review: It has begun
Paying Article

February 18, 2025 4:47 AM UTC

The RBA meeting on February 18th cut rates on by 25bps to 4.1% and suggest data dependency going forward

February 17, 2025

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Stubborn Inflation Continues to Stay Elevated in the First Month of 2025
Paying Article

February 17, 2025 9:33 AM UTC

Bottom Line: According to Russian Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat) data, inflation ticked up to 9.9% YoY in January after hitting 9.5% in December, remaining well above the Central Bank of Russia’s (CBR) midterm target of 4%, due to surges in services and food prices, huge military spending,

RBA Preview: Signaling Earlier Cut
Freemium Article

February 17, 2025 2:53 AM UTC

The RBA meeting on February 18th will keep rates on hold at 4.35% and signal a cut in April

February 14, 2025

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Argentina CPI Review: January Relief but Inflation Fight Continues
Paying Article

February 14, 2025 7:05 PM UTC

Argentina’s CPI rose 2.2% in January, slightly below forecasts, with Y/Y inflation dropping to 84% from 116%. Core CPI increased by 2.4%, accumulating 75% annual inflation. Inflation is expected to decline as devaluation effects fade, though inertia may keep it above 2% in the first half. Services

U.S. January Industrial Production - Aircraft and utilities up, mining and autos slip, elsewhere not much change
Paying Article

February 14, 2025 2:33 PM UTC

January industrial production is up a stronger than expected 0.5% more than fully due to a 7.2% surge in utilities that looks like a response to cold weather. Manufacturing fell by 0.1% despite a positive contribution from aircraft as Boeing recovered from a strike, with weather likely a negative he

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U.S. January Retail Sales - Slippage likely to be weather-induced
Paying Article

February 14, 2025 1:57 PM UTC

January retail sales at -0.9% saw a significant downside surprise, though we believe the main reason for weakness was bad weather, with a correction from strength in Q4 also likely to be a factor. The core rates were also weak, ex auto at -0.4%, ex auto and gas at -0.5%, and the control group that c

February 13, 2025

U.S. January PPI - Trend remains firm, Initial Claims fall
Paying Article

February 13, 2025 1:59 PM UTC

January PPI is slightly stronger than expected overall at 0.4%, but on consensus at 0.3% in both of the core rates, ex food and energy and ex food, energy and trade. December revisions however mean that yr/yr rates are higher than expected, overall PPI at 3.5%, ex food and energy at 3.6% and ex food

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Europe’s Ukraine Political Fallout and Market Hopes
Freemium Article

February 13, 2025 12:33 PM UTC

European politicians are surprised and angry at the U.S. stance on a peace deal for Ukraine and less military support for Europe, but eventually they will have to accept the new reality.  Europe is too divided to provide security guarantees to Ukraine on its own. A further increase and acceleration

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UK GDP Review: Surprise Resilience
Paying Article

February 13, 2025 7:58 AM UTC

GDP data for the end of 2024 very much surprised on the upside albeit still failing to convey an impression of UK’s economy displaying solidity, if not strength.  Admittedly GDP rose by 0.4% m/m in December, the largest such gain in 11 months (Figure 1) and enough to have allowed Q4 see growth of

February 12, 2025

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U.S. January CPI - A clear disappointment
Paying Article

February 12, 2025 2:05 PM UTC

January CPI is a clear disappointment rising by 0.5% overall and 0.4% ex food and energy (0.446% before rounding). While there is a problem of residual seasonality bringing strength in Q1 data, that yr/yr rates accelerated, overall to 3.0% from 2.9%, and ex food and energy to 3.3% from 3.2%, will be

Brazil CPI Review: Mixed Signs from January Inflation
Paying Article

February 12, 2025 12:33 AM UTC

Brazil’s CPI rose 0.16% in January, lowering Y/Y inflation to 4.5% from 4.8%. A temporary electricity discount drove the decline, while Food (+1%) and Transport (+1.3%) showed worrying increases. Core inflation rose 0.7%, with Services CPI jumping to 5.4%, partly due to seasonal healthcare costs.

February 11, 2025

U.S. January NFIB survey corrects after sharp post-election bounce
Paying Article

February 11, 2025 12:52 PM UTC

January’s NFIB index of Small Business Optimism to at 102.8 from 105.1 has corrected from its post-election bounce. 

February 08, 2025

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Banxico Review: 50 bps Cut as Expected
Freemium Article

February 8, 2025 9:39 PM UTC

Banxico cut the policy rate by 50bps to 10.5%, with a cautious stance and a split vote. Inflation has fallen but remains above target, expected to converge to 3.0% by Q3 2026. Global risks, including Trump’s tariff threats, add uncertainty. Despite economic weakness, some monetary tightening may s

February 07, 2025

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Russian Economy Grew by 4.1% YoY in 2024
Paying Article

February 7, 2025 7:22 PM UTC

Bottom Line: According to the figures announced by the Russian State Statistics Service (Rosstat) on February 7, Russia's GDP expanded by 4.1% YoY in 2024 driven by strong military spending, higher wages and fiscal stimulus. We envisage growth to hit 1.6% in 2025, which is significantly less than

U.S. February Michigan CSI - Consumers look concerned about tariffs
Paying Article

February 7, 2025 3:21 PM UTC

February’s preliminary Michigan CSI of 68.7 from 71.1 is weaker than expected and the lowest since July, with the dip appearing to come from a sharp rise in 1-year inflation expectations, to 4.3% from 3.3%, which is the highest since November 2023.

Canada January Employment - Rate cuts helping, but tariff risk persists
Paying Article

February 7, 2025 2:40 PM UTC

Canada has delivered a strong employment report in January, with a 76k increase allowing unemployment to slip to 6.6% from 6.7%, though wages slipped to 3.7% yr/yr from 3.8%. This backs a Bank of Canada view expressed at January’s meeting that growth is responding to rate cuts without lifting infl

U.S. January Employment with historical revisions - Charts and table
Paying Article

February 7, 2025 2:13 PM UTC

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U.S. January Employment - Trend still strong despite a weather-restrained January
Paying Article

February 7, 2025 2:09 PM UTC

January’s non-farm payroll with a 143k increase is on the low side of expectations, though we suspect January data was restrained by bad weather. A dip in the workweek is also probably weather-induced and may be behind an above trend 0.5% rise in earnings per hour. Unemployment slipped to 4.0% fro

February 06, 2025

U.S. Initial Claims correct higher but still low, Few scares in Q4 Productivity and Costs report
Paying Article

February 6, 2025 1:53 PM UTC

Initial claims at 219k have corrected higher from last week’s 208k which was the lowest since February 2024 but remain consistent with a healthy labor market.  Continued claims with a 36k rise to 1.886k have also corrected higher following a preceding 50k decline. 

February 05, 2025

U.S. January ISM Services - Dip may be weather-related
Paying Article

February 5, 2025 3:15 PM UTC

January’s ISM services index at 52.8 from 54.0 is weaker than market expectations though consistent with the S and P services PMI released earlier. It is possible bad weather, with very cold weather in much of the country probably more significant than the localized Los Angeles fires, restrained t

December sees large U.S. trade deficit while Canada's balance moves into surplus
Paying Article

February 5, 2025 2:01 PM UTC

December’s US trade deficit of $98.4bn from $78.9bn in November is even wider than expected and the widest since March 2022. Exports fell by 2.6% after a 2.7% November increase while imports rose by 3.5% for a second straight month.

U.S. January ADP Employment - Consumer facing industries lead healthy gain
Paying Article

February 5, 2025 1:31 PM UTC

ADP’s January estimate for private sector employment growth of 183k is on the firm side of expectations and in line with trend given positive recent back month revisions. We still see risk of a below trend non-farm payroll in January due to bad weather, which ADP data tends to be less sensitive to

February 04, 2025

U.S. December JOLTS report sees Job Openings correct lower
Paying Article

February 4, 2025 3:10 PM UTC

December’s JOLTS report shows a steep 516k decline in job openings, which should be seen as corrective from two strong months with the 3-month average still positive. 

February 03, 2025

U.S. January ISM Manufacturing - Move above neutral will be tested by a trade war
Paying Article

February 3, 2025 3:18 PM UTC

January’s ISM manufacturing index at 50.9 from 49.2 has moved above neutral for the first time since late 2022, giving a positive picture of manufacturing ahead of the commencing trade war. The trade war is likely to be negative for manufacturing as supply chains are damaged.

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EZ HICP Review: Headline Rises Amid Still Friendly Core Messages?
Paying Article

February 3, 2025 10:38 AM UTC

There were mixed messages in the higher-than-expected January flash HICP numbers.  For a third successive month, the headline but this time by ‘only’ 0.1ppt, to a six-month high of 2.5%, but where the core (again) stayed at 2.7%, partly due to what is seemingly relatively stable services inflat

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Turkish Inflation Continued to Decelerate in January
Paying Article

February 3, 2025 8:19 AM UTC

Bottom line: Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) announced on February 3 that consumer price index (CPI) softened to 42.1% y/y in January with education, health, and housing prices leading the rise in the index. We think lagged impacts of previous tightening, relative Turkish lira (TRY) stability,

January 31, 2025

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Mexico GDP Review: 0.6% Contraction in Q4 and Recession Risks
Paying Article

January 31, 2025 6:34 PM UTC

Mexico’s GDP shrank by 0.6% in Q4 2024, bringing annual growth to 1.5%, well below previous years. The industrial sector led the decline, driven by uncertainty over Trump’s election and weaker investment, while agriculture also contracted sharply. Monetary tightening, lower U.S. demand, and poli

Canada November GDP - A weak month with tariffs threatening
Paying Article

January 31, 2025 2:18 PM UTC

November Canadian GDP with a 0.2% decline was weaker than the -0.1% estimate made with October’s release, where the increase was unrevised at 0.3%, The preliminary estimate for December is for a rise of 0.2%, which if accurate would leave Q4 GDP near a 1.8% annualized estimate made by the Bank of

U.S. December Personal Income, Spending and Core PCE Prices confirm Q4 totals, Q4 Employment Cost Index as expected
Paying Article

January 31, 2025 1:56 PM UTC

December’s personal income and spending data is largely old news with Q4 totals having been seen in the GDP report. Gains of 0.2% in core PCE prices and 0.4% in personal income are in line with expectations, but spending with a 0.7% increase with positive back month revisions reflects the strong c

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German Data Review: Mixed Inflation News but Politics Dominate?
Paying Article

January 31, 2025 1:28 PM UTC

As Germany faces possibly deeper and more prolonged political deadlock, its disinflation process continues, but there are signs that the downtrend is flattening out and this may be the message into the rest of 2025. Indeed, January HICP inflation stayed at 2.8% an outcome largely as expected.   Bu

January 30, 2025

U.S. December Pending Home Sales - Significant correction from recent strength
Paying Article

January 30, 2025 3:06 PM UTC

Pending home sales with a 5.5% December decline have seen a significant correction from four straight gains, which may reflect fading expectations for further Fed easing.

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U.S. Q4 GDP Led by Strong Consumer Spending
Paying Article

January 30, 2025 2:04 PM UTC

The 2.3% increase in Q4 GDP is little weaker than consensus expectations surveyed before yesterday’s weak trade and inventories data but the data was supported by a significantly stronger than expected 4.2% rise in consumer spending, keeping the pace of growth solid. Core PCE prices at 2.5% are on

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Eurozone Flash GDP Review: Momentum Missing as Divergence Continues?
Paying Article

January 30, 2025 10:31 AM UTC

After a series of upside surprises, EZ GDP both weakened and undershot both consensus and ECB expectations in Q4 (Figure 1). There is a certain irony that for an ECB Council that has evidently shifted its main concern away from broadly falling inflation to real economy weakness, the soft Q4 GDP outc

January 29, 2025

Continuum Economics Calendar February 2025
Paying Article

January 29, 2025 4:50 PM UTC

Data and Events Calendar February 2025.

U.S. December Advance Goods Trade Deficit surges while inventories dip, bringing downside risk to Q4 GDP
Paying Article

January 29, 2025 1:43 PM UTC

December’s advance goods US trade deficit of $122.1bn from $103.5bn in November is sharply wider than expected and a record high. This means some downside risk to Q4 GDP, particularly with advance inventory data for December negative, wholesale at -0.5% and retail at -0.3%.

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EZ Monetary Insight: Politics Making Banks More Risk Averse Accentuating EZ Divergences
Paying Article

January 29, 2025 11:01 AM UTC

Ahead of what seems to be a routine decision tomorrow, recent monetary data complicate the policy outlook for the ECB in the months ahead.  Positively, ECB compiled money data show discernible signs of as revival in bank lending, even for companies, although still hardly any growth in real terms. 

January 28, 2025

U.S. January Consumer Confidence - Labor market softens, inflation expectations rise
Paying Article

January 28, 2025 3:19 PM UTC

January’s consumer confidence report at 104.1 is slightly weaker than expected and down from 109.5, which saw a significant upward revision from 104.7, making December’s dip from 112.8 a lot less sharp than originally reported.

January 27, 2025

U.S. December New Home Sales - Continuing to reverse October dip
Paying Article

January 27, 2025 3:20 PM UTC

December new home sales with a 3.6% rise to 698k have continued a recovery from a hurricane-induced dip in October and keep the housing market looking firm, if remaining below September’s 726k level.

January 22, 2025

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SA Inflation Review: Inflation Slightly Rose to 3.0% in December
Paying Article

January 22, 2025 3:24 PM UTC

Bottom Line: StatsSA announced on January 22 annual South Africa’s inflation slightly accelerated to 3.0% in December from 2.9% YoY in November due to housing costs and miscellaneous goods and services, which ticked up 4.4% and 6.6%, respectively. We feel unpredictable outlook for the global econo

January 17, 2025

U.S. December Industrial Production - Aircraft rebound but gains broad based
Paying Article

January 17, 2025 2:35 PM UTC

December industrial production has shown a stronger than expected 0.9% increase with manufacturing up by 0.6%. 0.2% of the increase came from aircraft as Boeing output recovered from a recent strike but the gains go well beyond that.

U.S. December Housing Starts and Permits - Single family series see modest gains
Paying Article

January 17, 2025 1:54 PM UTC

December housing starts are much stronger than expected with a 15.8% rise to 1499k, unusually outperforming permits which fell 0.7% to 1483k. For the single-family sector, the contrast is much less stark, with starts up by 3.3% and permits up by 1.6%, suggesting a modestly positive trend.