The Weekly Briefing from Capital Economics

Markets cheered the US June inflation report, with equities rising and yields falling on solid evidence that the forces that drove core inflation to a four-decade high are in retreat. But is the crisis really over? How will the Fed respond in July and subsequent meetings? And what does the US experience say about the UK and European outlooks?In this week’s episode of The Weekly Briefing from Capital Economics, Group Chief Economist Neil Shearing talks to David Wilder about this latest shift in the US inflation narrative and the implications for policy. Neil also previews the coming week’s UK inflation report and discusses the risks to the economic outlook posed by El Niño.Plus, following Wagner Group leader Yezgeny Prigozhin’s dramatic failed rebellion last month, Senior Emerging Markets Economist Liam Peach discusses his major new report about Russia’s precarious economy. Liam explains the tricky task that the Putin regime now faces in maintaining macro stability at the same time as prosecuting the war on Ukraine, including the economic pressures that could force the government to seek a way out of the conflict. Click here to explore the analysis and events referenced in this episode.

We've just published our Q3 Outlook reports for the global economy and markets. They tell a fairly grim near-term story of inflation, recession and weaker equities prices. But there's nuance within that narrative, including emerging markets outperformance and a much, much brighter outlook for stocks beyond 2023. Ariane Curtis and Tom Mathews speak to David Wilder about the key takeaways from their reports ahead of client briefings this coming week. Plus, Neil Shearing explains why the bond market has been freaking out this week, why inflation is taking so long to respond to its monetary medicine and introduces our major new research project coming this September. Click here to explore the events and analysis referenced in this episode. 

Accusations of ‘greedflation’ are flying thick and fast, fuelling public anger over rising prices, putting executives on the defensive and pressuring politicians to do something. But are companies really taking advantage of inflation’s return to maximise profits? Simon MacAdam, a Senior Economist on our Global Economics team, has just completed in-depth analysis into the ‘greedflation’ question and talks to David Wilder about his findings – including why the current debate is fundamentally flawed but also just how much corporate pricing behaviour has inflamed the inflation situation. Plus, what happens in Sintra doesn’t stay in Sintra. Group Chief Economist Neil Shearing explains why central bankers sounded so hawkish in their comments to the ECB forum at the Portuguese resort town. He also reviews the latest inflation data and addresses the Bank for International Settlement’s call for fiscal policy to join the fight to get price pressures under control. Click here to explore the analysis referenced in this episode.  

After that shock CPI report and the Bank of England’s aggressive response, Neil Shearing discusses whether the UK is a high inflation-slow growth outlier. Along with his survey of the latest advanced economy data, the Capital Economics Group Chief Economist also talks about what EM central banks have been doing right. And he explains why, despite signs of improvement, fundamental strains in US-China relations will continue to drive the fracturing of the global economy. Plus, in an exclusive clip from our online client briefing following the Bank of England’s June meeting, our UK, Housing and Financial Markets economists answer client questions about the impact of another ratcheting up of Bank Rate on everything from household finances to house prices to the gilt market.  Click here to read the analysis referenced in this episode.

In this special episode of the Capital Economics Weekly Briefing, our team of property economists explain how commercial and housing markets are faring in a world of rapid and large increases in interest rates. Taking in everything from the crisis in the US banking system to panic around UK inflation, the team discuss what’s been happening on both sides of the Atlantic and where they think markets are going. Chief Property Economist Andrew Burrell revisits our forecasts going to into 2023 to discuss whether markets are passed the worst;Andrew Wishart, the head of our UK Housing service, explains what the recent surge in UK mortgage rates means for transactions and prices;Kiran Raichura, our Deputy Chief Property Economist, and Senior Property Economist Matthew Pointon discuss the similarities and differences between the US and UK commercial markets, including the office outlook in both.Click here to read the analysis referenced in this episode.

China data for May fell short of expectations and Capital Economics clients want to know what the government’s going to do about it. Our China Drop-In was one of two online briefings we held for them last week, along with our post-Fed, post-ECB, pre-Bank of England briefing. In this special episode, Group Chief Economist Neil Shearing tackles some of the most commonly-asked questions during those sessions, including: What will Chinese stimulus look like?Why is the German economy in such a dire state?Could the Bank of England signal a pause after a June rate hike?Plus, have Turkey and Nigeria come in from the cold? Post-election signals in both countries indicate their presidents are willing to break with the market-unfriendly policies that they’ve previously supported – but is this the real deal? Jason Tuvey and Liam Peach from our EM team talk about the lira and naira’s recent sharp devaluations, the path back to “normal” policy-settings, and whether Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bola Tinubu are likely to stay the course.Click here to view recordings of the Drop-Ins and the analysis referenced in this episode.

These are not normal economic times and that makes the job of policymakers – and economists – that much harder. Group Chief Economist Neil Shearing talks to David Wilder about why this cycle is unlike any other, but also why it's likely to end in recession. Plus, the headline were all about LIV Golf, the PGA Tour and Karim Benzema, but the other big Saudi Arabia story this week was the oil production cut that barely raised a peep in the market. Bill Weatherburn talks about the price outlook and the OPEC+ dynamics that are driving decision-making, while James Swanston explains why he's just slashed his Saudi growth forecast, the chances of more high profile spending in sports and what Antony Blinken's trip to Riyadh signifies. Click here to read the analysis referenced in this episode.

US stocks ended the week with a broad rally in the wake of the May jobs report, but the S&P 500’s performance this year has been mostly dictated by the outsized strength of just a handful of giant tech firms. Oliver Allen and Adam Hoyes from our Financial Markets team talk to David Wilder about what’s really been happening under the hood of the US stock market, how this has played before and what it means for the outlook for equities.Plus, from that jobs report to euro-zone inflation to the latest PMIs, Simon Macadam from our Global Economics team reviews the week’s data to discuss how they’ve affected the global growth-inflation-policy outlook – including why we still think recessions in advanced economies are on the cards. Click here to explore the analysis referenced in this episode.

Neil Shearing says the UK’s April CPI report was a “horrorshow”. The Capital Economics Group Chief Economist tells David Wilder why sticky inflation readings make recession more likely – despite the popular view that a downturn can be avoided – while previewing May inflation data for the euro-zone and the US non-farm payrolls report.Plus, the reports suggest a deal is near, but what if Democrats and Republicans fail to agree in time and the US actually defaults? Hear an exclusive clip from our client briefing about the macro and market impact if the unthinkable became a reality.Also, most studies tend to understate the impact that a bigger-than-expected rise in global temperatures would have on economic activity. David Oxley, the head of our Climate Economics service, has tried to put that right with new analysis. Here he talks through some of the global and country-level impacts.Click here to explore the analysis referenced in this episode.

The cover story of The Economist magazine this past week has been largely based on our long-held view that China’s economic growth would slow to just 2% by the end of this decade, and wouldn’t surpass the US as the world’s biggest economy. The Capital Economics report outlining this view was first published five years ago this month, and Mark Williams, one of its co-authors, tells David Wilder why the drags on Chinese growth that were highlighted by the China team back in 2018 have only become more pronounced in the intervening years. Plus, Group Chief Economist Neil Shearing discusses what’s happening in advanced economy housing markets, and why the inflationary surge has helped push through their adjustment from positions of extreme overvaluation. Finally, Liam Peach from our Emerging Markets explains why the result of first-round voting in Turkey’s presidential election is such a negative for the country’s economic outlook.Click here to read the analysis referenced in this episode.