- FOMC speeches move markets, but they are not a reliable guide to what will happen in three months.
- The surge in November single-family starts is noise, not signal; expect a correction in December.
- People’s uneasiness over the labor market signals a gradually upward trend in unemployment.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- Homebase signals December payroll growth of about 225K; no sign of further weakening yet.
- Lower rates are beginning to cheer homebuilders, who will gain further market share as home sales rise.
- Single-family construction is rebounding, fitfully, but the multi-family rollover has further to go.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- President Milei has rolled up his sleeves, announcing concrete measures to put the economy on track.
- Inflation rebounded sharply in November, and the rapid uptrend will persist over the first half of 2024.
- Chile rejected a constitution proposal for the second time in a year; does this mean uncertainty?
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Latin America
- The Fed’s forecasts imply remarkable stability in GDP growth and unemployment for the next three years…
- …They are likely to be wrong, and the risks to their numbers for next year are mostly to the downside.
- Homebuilders’ sentiment likely is rebounding as mortgage rates drop, with more to come.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- LatAm central banks pushed back on aggressive rate-cut expectations, despite the Fed’s policy shift.
- Banxico doubled down on its cautious approach, but we still think that rate cuts will come soon.
- Peru’s BCRP also embraced prudence, but bolder action will be possible in Q1, El Niño permitting.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Latin America
- In one line: A 50bp rate cut, as expected.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Global
Margins have stopped rising, but yet to start falling, auto dealers excepted.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- Brazil’s November inflation numbers support the case for bolder rate cuts during Q1, fiscal issues permitting.
- Headline inflation is declining faster than expected in Colombia, but the core remains sticky, for now.
- The headline inflation fall is good enough to trigger action by BanRep next week.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Latin America
- In one line: A sharp m/m increase, but the rapid downtrend will resume soon.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Latin America
- In one line: Core inflation continues to fall.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Global
- The gap between the GDI and GDP numbers is unusually large by historic standards...
- ...Undercounting of interest payments means that big upward revisions to GDI are a good bet.
- ISM services signals modest and steady growth, but hints at a hefty bounce in October payrolls.
Ian Shepherdson (Chief Economist, Chairman and Founder)US
- In one line: Surprisingly resilient, but high interest rates are now a drag.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Global
- In one line: Surprisingly resilient, but high interest rates are now a drag.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Latin America
- In one line: A poor start to Q4, due chiefly to plunging mining activity.
Andrés Abadía (Chief LatAm Economist)Global
