Global Chief Economist at HSBC Global Research, Janet Henry, discusses the outlook for the world economy amidst central banks' rate cutting cycles. Topics include positive economic signs, global GDP forecasts, US productivity advantage from AI adoption, post-election fiscal speculations, and policy rate forecasts with a focus on rate cuts.
Global composite PMIs are improving, especially in China and Europe, signaling data stabilization.
Revised 2024 global economic growth forecasts show growth moving from 2.4% to 2.6%, driven by US and India.
Deep dives
Global Economic Outlook
The podcast discusses the prospects for the world economy, highlighting improvements seen in recent months such as green shoots in the data and signs of world trade picking up. Central banks' future rate decisions are data-dependent, with Janet Henry mentioning the challenges of data volatility and conflicting indicators like differing wage indicators in the Eurozone. Despite complexities, global composite PMIs are showing improvements, especially in regions like mainland China and Europe, indicating a stabilization in the overall data.
Revised Global Forecasts
The podcast reveals revised 2024 global economic growth forecasts from 2.4% to 2.6%, driven by strong fourth-quarter performances in the US and India. Notable downward revisions were seen in Saudi Arabia and Argentina due to oil production cuts and policy impacts. The discussion also touches on the uncertainties surrounding world trade growth, primarily driven by inventory rebuilds and the need for significant demand acceleration in major economies for sustained recovery.
Inflation and AI Impact on Productivity
Economic experts raise insights on inflation risks, stressing central banks' concerns on service sector inflation and the need for evidence of disinflation trends to reach target levels. Additionally, the podcast explores the impact of AI on productivity, noting the US's higher productivity performance attributed to greater investment in software and intellectual property. The cyclical and structural benefits of AI on productivity are highlighted, indicating a stronger productivity performance in the US compared to European economies.
With the major central banks poised to begin their rate cutting cycles, we assess the outlook for the world economy with Janet Henry, Global Chief Economist.
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Disclosures and Disclaimers: https://www.research.hsbc.com/R/101/TrQbThH