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ECB Council Meeting Review: Complacency Rules the Day!
September 11, 2025 2:08 PM UTC
A second successive stable policy decision was the almost inevitable outcome of this month’s ECB Council meeting resulting in the first consecutive pause in the current easing cycle, with the discount rate left at 2.0%. Also as expected, the ECB offered little in terms of policy guidance; after
DM Rates: Steeper Yield Curves: More to Come?
September 10, 2025 10:55 AM UTC
Steeper yield curves are a function of monetary easing cycles, budget deficits, lower central bank holdings of government bonds, a move towards pre GFC real rates and shifting demand from pensions funds and life insurance companies. Scope exists for further steepening in the U.S., EZ and UK with m
Canada August Employment - With Q3 looking weak, we now expect the BoC to ease in September
September 5, 2025 1:41 PM UTC
Canada’s August employment report with a 65.5k decline with unemployment up to 7.1% from 6.9% is much weaker than expected. While the detail is a little less weak than the headlines suggest, and the data has been volatile recently, we are revising our Bank of Canada call, and now expect a 25bps ea
UK GDP Review: Conflicting Signs
September 12, 2025 6:52 AM UTC
Although we are pointed to a flat m/m GDP outcome for the July data, thereby matching the official outcome, the actual outcome was a small m/m fall (before rounding). The three-month rate slowed a notch to 0.2% but we think this overstates what is very feeble momentum, which may actually be nearer
UK CPI Review: A Pause Before a Peak?
September 17, 2025 6:29 AM UTC
After the upside (and broad) June CPI surprise, CPI inflation rose further, up another 0.2 ppt to 3.8% in July, higher than the consensus but matching BoE thinking. Despite adverse rounding and fuel (and food) costs, the headline stayed there in the August figure, this foreshadowing a likely rise th
U.S. August CPI, Weekly Initial Claims - Risks on both sides of Fed mandate but possible seasonal adjustment issues for Claims
September 11, 2025 1:07 PM UTC
August CPI is firmer than expected overall at 0.4% and while the core rate was as expected at 0.3% its rise before rounding at 0.346% is uncomfortably high emphasizing the upside risks to the Fed’s inflation mandate. Initial claims at 263k from 236k however point to downside risks to the Fed emplo
Expecting a Negative Non-Farm Payroll Benchmark Revision
September 8, 2025 3:25 PM UTC
Tuesday sees the release of the preliminary Labor Dep’t estimate for the March 2025 non-farm payroll benchmark, with expectations for a significant negative, possibly as large as the -818k preliminary estimate for the March 2024 benchmark delivered a year ago. The eventual revision to March 2024 p
Outlook Overview: Into 2026
September 23, 2025 8:25 AM UTC
· The critical question is how much the U.S. economy is slowing down with the feedthrough of President Donald Trump’s tariffs to boost inflation and restrain GDP growth, with the effective rate currently around 17% on U.S. imports. Though semiconductor tariffs are likely, the bulk of
Eurozone Outlook: Resilience or Irrelevance?
September 22, 2025 9:49 AM UTC
·· Yet again, and amid what may still be tightening financial conditions and likely protracted trade uncertainty, we have pared back the EZ activity forecast for 2026. However, the picture this year appears to be slightly better but this is largely a distortion and we think that the ec
SNB Review: Staying at Zero – For Some Time?
September 25, 2025 8:03 AM UTC
Very much as expected, both in deed and word, the SNB kept the policy rate at zero this month having cut by 25 bp back in June in June. Indeed, markets priced out what was previously seen as a good chance of rates turning negative, even against a backdrop of the punitive tariff scheme the Swiss econ
U.S. Initial Claims, GDP revisions, Durables and Trade all stronger than expected
September 25, 2025 1:17 PM UTC
The latest set of US data is clearly on the strong side of expectations, with Q2 GDP revised up significantly to 3.8% from 3.3%, August’s advance trade deficit falling to $85.5bn from $102.8bn, August durable goods orders rising by 2.9% with a 0.4% increase ex transport, and initial claims falling
U.S. Outlook: Fed Easing to Prevent Recession, but May Also Keep Inflation Above Target
September 22, 2025 10:15 AM UTC
• GDP growth, supported in particular by business investment, was resilient in Q2, but growth in employment is now minimal and that will weigh on consumer spending, particularly with tariff-supported inflation set to restrain real wage growth. Recession is a risk if we see a vicious circle
U.S. Government Shutdown Expected Starting October 1
September 29, 2025 3:54 PM UTC
While a last minute deal is not to be ruled out, the US government looks set to shut down on October 1. Once a shutdown starts, the standoff could last for a few weeks, probably not as far as the next FOMC meeting on October 29, though that cannot be ruled out. As long as the government remains shut
DM Government Bond Saints v U.S.
September 29, 2025 7:35 AM UTC
· Overall, although the fiscal saints (Australia/Canada/Germany/Sweden) have merits over the U.S. in the scenario where Fed independence is undermined and more Fed rate cuts occur than warranted by the economics, the 10yr area of other government bond markets may not outperform. 10yr go
Sweden Riksbank Review: Riksbank Delivers Final Rate Cut?
September 23, 2025 8:16 AM UTC
Although aware of the possible impact of recent both real activity and adjusted CPI data having delivered upside news and surprises as well as what now looks to be a clear fiscal loosening, the Riksbank delivered the 25 bp final rate cut we expected. The Board was very clear that no further easing
DM Rates Outlook: Steepening Yield Curve The Old Normal?
September 23, 2025 7:53 AM UTC
• We continue to forecast further yield curve steepening across the U.S./EZ and UK, driven by cumulative easing. For the U.S. this can see a modest further decline in 2yr yields, but the prospect is for a move to a premium of 2yr to Fed Funds (unless a hard landing is seen). 10yr yields
Preview: Due October 3 - U.S. September Employment (Non-Farm Payrolls) - Still subdued, but slightly stronger than in August
September 24, 2025 3:28 PM UTC
We expect September’s non-farm payroll to show another subdued rise, of 45k, with 50k in the private sector, but marginally stronger than July’s respective gains of 22k and 38k. We expect unemployment to slip to 4.2% from 4.3% on a fall in the labor force, while average hourly earnings maintai
Japan Outlook: Ready for Another Step
September 22, 2025 1:30 AM UTC
• The recovery in private consumption surprised to the upside is Q2 2025 because wage growth regained traction after clarity on the U.S.-Japan trade front. The gradual transition of business price/wage setting behavior will continue to support consumption in 2025/26. Trade balance in 2025 h
China Outlook: Headwinds into 2026?
September 19, 2025 9:30 AM UTC
• Overall, net exports contribution to GDP growth should be tempered in H2 2025, as 30% tariffs bite more progressively and other countries more closely monitor the redirection of China’s exports. A trade deal with the U.S. remains our baseline, which should reduce tariffs to around 20%
Commodities Outlook: Markets in Motion
September 22, 2025 10:30 AM UTC
OPEC+ has entered a new supply cycle, gradually reversing a second layer of voluntary cuts. The latest 1.65 mln b/d tranche is being phased out at 137,000 b/d monthly, likely completed by September 2026, while 2 mln b/d of group-wide cuts remain until the end of 2026. Non-OPEC supply growth will lik
EMEA Outlooks Stay Mixed into 2026: Domestic and Global Uncertainties
September 22, 2025 6:58 AM UTC
· In South Africa, we foresee average headline inflation will stand at 3.4% and 4.2% in 2025 and 2026, respectively, despite upside risks to inflation such as swings in food prices, supply chain destructions including energy shortages and port inefficiencies and global uncertainties. We see