No-one knows which way inflation is heading in 2025

Kia ora,

Welcome to Monday’s Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.

I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.

And today we lead with news the rise in long term benchmark rates is echoing everywhere, including in New Zealand.

But first, if you are just back from your summer break, welcome back to work. Those benchmark interest rates have been on the move up while you have been away.

The week ahead will be focused locally on early indications of Q4-2024 inflation. We get the 'selected price indicators' for December this week on Thursday, to be followed by the full Q4 CPI next week on Wednesday. In Australia, their December labour market report is also due out Thursday. In the US the main focus will be on earnings reports from the big banks.

And the US will be releasing their CPI data, and given rising inflation fears and rising interest rates, that could well be a significant market mover. Currently markets expect it to run at 2.8% (from 2.7% in November), but you have to say there are upside risks here and financial markets are pricing those in now. They will release their influential inflation expectations survey on Wednesday NZT.

China is set to release a suite of economic indicators this coming week, including Q4 GDP growth figures, as well as data on exports, imports, industrial production, and retail sales. Later today we expect their new yuan loan data for December, anticipated to be weak again.

But first over the weekend, the US economy added +256,000 jobs in December, much more than the +212,000 in November, and way more than the market expectations of +160,000. Their jobless rate fell. These are the headline rates. The actual change was a tiny fall to 160.5 mln employed workers, but actually a much less reduction than seasonal factors would have indicated.

For all of 2024, they had a rise of +2.2 mln payroll jobs and for the four years of the Biden presidency a rise of +16.9 mln new jobs. In the prior four years, there was a loss of -2.6 mln jobs.

The wider employed labour force only grew by +11.7 mln in the past four years as many people transitioned from unincorporated self-employment back on to company payrolls. In the prior four years, the wider employed labour force shrank by -2.2 mln people. Any way you cut it, the past four years has been a golden period for American employment.

Average weekly earnings rose +3.5% in 2024, up +20.0% over the past four years. In the prior four years they rose +18.0%.

But Americans are increasingly fearful of the year ahead. The latest University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey in January dropped because of surging worries over the future path of inflation. Year-ahead inflation expectations jumped to 3.3%, the highest in eight months, from 2.8% in December. This is only the third time in the last four years that long-run expectations have shown such a large one-month rise. Consumers know they will be paying much more if tariffs are jerked higher soon.

The financial markets also reacted to the jobs data and the impending impact of tariffs. Wall Street equities were -1.5% lower on Friday, bond yields have jumped, and a risk-off defensive tone spread which saw the USD rise. That's all because the strong jobs data argues for a Fed rate cut pause. Their bar for rate cuts has risen noticeably with this data. The Fed next meets on January 30 (NZT).

Prior to this jobs data release, the latest Atlanta Fed Q4-2024 economic growth estimate was +2.7%. The subsequent strong labour market data may see some upside to that.

Canada also reported their December labour force data today and that was strong too. Employment there rose +90,900 with more than half that as full-time jobs. Their jobs growth was far higher than the +25,000 expected and the +50,700 in November. This surge also calls into question whether the Bank of Canada will actually cut rates when they next meet, also on January 30 (NZT).

The latest Japanese household spending survey indicated another fall in November, part of a pattern of monthly falls since early 2023. But this one was a little different because it was the smallest surveyed fall in the series and a much 'improved' result that from both prior months and from what was expected. Some see a turning point.

In China, in a surprise move, their central bank said it would suspend treasury bond purchases in the open market due to a supply shortage, effective immediately. They will "resume purchases at an appropriate time based on market conditions". The move comes amid repeated warnings from them about bubble risks in their overheated bond market, where long-term yields have plummeted to record lows. Over the past year, yields on key bonds, including the benchmark 10-year government bond, have reached unprecedented lows as investors flock to safe-haven assets. This shift is largely driven by ongoing economic uncertainties linked to a prolonged property market slump. In December, Chinese leaders signaled further rate cuts, fueling another surge in bond market activity. This pushed the 10-year treasury bond yield to an all-time low of 1.6% earlier this month, exacerbating concerns over market exuberance.

Their yields recovered after this move but the recovery didn't hold. But at least they arrested the decline and the day ended unchanged.

Chinese analysts are expecting bad news coming from the series of large zombie property developers that have been holding on with government funding support. But most of them seem to have reached the end of the line, and a series of default-into-administration events are now anticipated. Investors will take a bath. None of this will help the economic mood.

In India, their industrial production showed a small improvement in November, up +5.2% from a year ago with manufacturing up +5.8%. Both results were better than October and better than expected.

In Australia, their Federal Government accounts for the five months to November show that tax receipts are surging. That is cutting into their budget deficit for the year quickly. At the current rate the full year budget deficit may halve. If the trend continues, they even have a chance of posting a surplus. The reason for the improved outlook is twofold: their jobs market is buoyant generating higher income tax deductions than expected. And their currency is falling vs the USD, and as their mineral exports are sold in USD that is generating an unexpected rise in royalty receipts (and higher corporate income tax receipts).

And we should probably note that coal prices are falling still, now down to a three year low and where they were in May 2021. And that is despite a very cold spell in the Northern Hemisphere at present.

The UST 10yr yield is still at just on 4.76%, and up +7 bps from Friday in the jobs-data reaction. A week ago it was at 4.59% so a +16 bps rise from then.

The price of gold will start today at US$2690/oz and up +US$1 from Saturday and up +US$50 from a week ago.

Oil prices are unchanged from Saturday at just on US$76.50/bbl in the US while the international Brent price is now just over US$79.50. That is the same as the weekly gain. The recent rise comes from fear of the effect of new sanctions activity.

The Kiwi dollar starts today just on 55.6 USc and unchanged from Saturday but down -50 bps for the week. Against the Aussie we are still at 90.4 AUc. Against the euro we are also little-changed at 54.3 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just under 66.7 and up +10 bps from Saturday.

The bitcoin price starts today at US$94,909 and up +1.4% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at +/- 0.9%.

You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.

You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.

Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.