Pantheon Publications
Below is a list of our Publications for the last 6 months. If you are looking for reports older than 6 months please email info@pantheonmacro.com, or contact your account rep.
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Daily Monitor Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)
- China’s loan prime rates were left unchanged in April after the PBoC’s earlier decision to hold the MLF.
- The PBoC has less room to cut rates in the near term as market bets on a delayed Fed cut rate increase.
- Early Korean export data show strong memory-chip demand; US shipments remain solid.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Japan’s exports grew solidly in March, thanks to burgeoning Chinese demand and a weaker JPY.
- Demand from the US and EU slowed, car-related shipments fell sharply, but chip exports soared.
- The export recovery will be safeguarded by the ICT upturn, while capital goods demand should improve.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- China’s inflation data point to lacklustre domestic demand post-New Year, while supply rose.
- Core CPI dropped sharply to half its long-run average; industry is still facing deflationary pressure.
- The US economy is steaming ahead, giving the PBoC
a dilemma: lower rates or keep RMB stable.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Japan’s Tankan for large manufacturers deteriorated for the first time in a year.
- The silver lining is optimism for the non-manufacturing sector, storming to its highest since 1991.
- Nothing in the survey will surprise the BoJ, and we expect interest rates to reach 0.20% by end-2024.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- China’s industrial profits soared, on the low base last year when the country emerged from zero-Covid.
- Capital equipment and consumption goods manufacturing make up most of the profit improvement.
- We expect a firmer recovery after the implementation of the action plans to upgrade consumption.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- The BoJ raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years, while ending YCC and risky asset purchases.
- At the press conference, Governor Ueda’s rhetoric on the future path of the policy rate was neutral.
- Japan’s monetary policy should stay accommodative unless significant inflationary pressures mount.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- China’s CPI rebounded due to the timing of Lunar New Year and stronger demand in food and services.
- By contrast, PPI slid further as deflationary pressure on upstream industries persists.
- We expect headline CPI disinflation to resume, and China continues to export deflation to rest of world.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- China’s export growth increased in January-to-February, partly due to the low base from last year.
- Exports to emerging markets have risen noticeably, while shipments to ASEAN were flat.
- New measures are being proposed at the NPC to prop up domestic demand and the property market.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Underlying growth in Korean exports was stronger in February, adjusted for working-day differences.
- Surging demand for semiconductors drove exports higher, thanks to a sustained ICT upturn.
- The BoK will start lowering rates only in Q3, owing to inflationary pressure and household-debt risks.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Korean 20-day export annual growth fell sharply in February, due to the holiday effect...
- ...Working-day-adjusted data show exports actually increased, led by semiconductor shipments.
- Japan’s exports rose in January due to base effects, tallying with the chip ‘up-cycle’ in Korean trade.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Japan’s economy enters technical recession as it saw two successive quarters of negative growth.
- Despite lacklustre domestic demand, growth was supported by nascent recovery in external demand.
- BoJ is likely to remove negative rates in Q2 after the ShuntÅÂ wage rounds despite weak fundamentals.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- China’s foreign-exchange reserves reversed the rising trend and fell in January, thanks to a valuation effect.
- The favourable external conditions that drove increases in Q4 have taken a breather.
- We expect modest capital inflows in H2, thanks to narrowing interest rate differentials with the US.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- China’s January Caixin services PMI fell short of market expectations and signalled slower growth.
- Output prices fell for the first time in 21 months; firms are facing more market competition.
- Japan’s service industry is expanding faster than expected, but growth is largely based on tourism.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Chinese industrial profits have been recovering on a year-to-date basis since August 2023...
- ...On improvements in profit margins and industrial value-added, as well as easing producer deflation.
- Industrial profits will likely benefit from further stimulus measures slowly trickling through in H1.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- December’s NBS manufacturing PMI fell for a third straight month, to the weakest level since June.
- The divergence between the official and the Caixin measures continues, especially on export orders.
- The government will rely more on fiscal policy in 2024. The PSL deployment is a quasi-fiscal example.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Korea’s 20-day exports rose sharply in December on base effects, and jumps in vessel and chip exports.
- Exports to China and Hong Kong continue to recover, while shipments to the EU tanked.
- Any improvement in Korea’s exports hinges on how sustained the ICT rebound and China’s recovery are.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- The PBoC kept one-and five-year LPRs steady in December, after standing pat on MLF rates earlier.
- Japan’s exports dipped back into negative growth in November following two months of expansion.
- Exports to the US and EU slowed significantly, while car exports continue to grow, albeit less strongly.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- October’s industrial profit recovery was slower than expected, due to base effects and rising costs.
- Fading reflation impetus from producer prices also contributed; manufacturing sector profits improved.
- While October’s data is more upbeat than the year- over-year data implies, the recovery remains bumpy.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Korea’s 20-day exports continue to recover, but growth in shipment values slowed in November.
- Intra-regional exports are falling, bar those to China; Vehicles exports remain the main upward driver.
- We expect Korean exports to recover only gradually on a soft global outlook and uneven chip demand.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
- Japan’s Q3 real GDP was weaker than expected, due to slower inventory growth and a rising deflator.
- Private domestic demand remains sluggish, with consumption and investment missing expectations.
- Interest rates will be kept low for longer, effectively delaying the end of the negative rate policy to Q2.
Kelvin Lam (Senior China+ Economist)China+
