- The U.K. is the only G7 country in which GDP fell in Q3
and has never recovered to its pre-Covid peak.
- Households’ real spending will keep falling until the end of 2023, as fiscal and monetary headwinds intensify.
- Higher interest rates will weigh on business investment and trigger a sharp downturn in residential investment.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Timely data show house prices now are falling in the face of surging mortgage rates and falling real incomes.
- Supply is becoming scarcer, but it is not keeping up with cratering demand, we still expect prices to fall by 8%.
- Watch out for a jump in wage growth in September; many public sector workers received a 5% pay rise.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- October’s PMI data point to a worsening recession; a 0.5% quarter-on-quarter drop in Q4 GDP looks likely.
- Price rises are slowing, but remain too brisk for the MPC to take breath; we look for a 75bp hike next week.
- Further falls in interest rate expectations will weigh on sterling now the fiscal credibility gap has largely gone.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Over three-quarters of firms’ bank loans are floating rate; interest payments will absorb 20% of profits soon.
- In total, firms’ financial assets are worth more than bank & bond debt, but they are mismatched between firms.
- The change in firms’ borrowing costs has been a good leading indicator of employment and capex in the past.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- We now look for a 1.5% year-over-year drop in GDP in 2023, worse than our prior forecast for a 1.2% decline.
- The Energy Price Guarantee has shored up real in- comes, but the tax cuts are counterproductive, net...
- ...The hit from the resulting drop in sterling and rise in mortgage rates will outweigh the direct fiscal boost.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- A recession now is all but inevitable; the key questionis how the pain will be distributed.
- Hiking Bank Rate to 6% would crush domestically-generated inflation; mortgage defaults would soar.
- Hiking more slowly would depress sterling and boost imported inflation, but is the lesser evil for the MPC.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Tax cuts which disproportionately benefit the top 1% of earners will do little to boost demand.
- Most households are worse off, because the associated depreciation of sterling will raise the price level by 1.5%.
- Mr. Kwarteng likely will impose tough spending limits in the Budget, to try to reverse the jump in gilt yields.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- The improved near-term outlook for CPI inflation has left the MPC less anxious about second-round effects.
- The MPC is awaiting more details on fiscal policy; a 75bp hike in November can't be ruled out...
- ...But the proposed tax cuts will do little to boost GDP, and spending might be cut; we still expect a 50bp hike.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Public borrowing has tracked the OBR's forecast this year, but government spending now will soar.
- Loans to energy suppliers, to limit energy price rises, will boost the cash requirement, but not borrowing.
- We look for a gross financing requirement of about £325B in 2023/24, but the outlook is very uncertain.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- The effective interest rate for all mortgages has risen only slowly to date, but now looks set to soar...
- ...As a rising number of borrowers refinance, and as lenders respond to the further jump in risk-free rates.
- Expect a 1pp disposable income hit in 2023 if Bank Rate tops 4%, or a 0.7pp drag if Bank Rate tracks our forecast.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- CPI inflation likely fell to 9.9% in August, from 10.1% in
July, returning to the level forecast by the MPC.
- A slump in motor fuel CPI inflation likely dominated the further pick-up in food inflation.
- BRC data show the pace of core goods price rises eased in August; July's large jump in rents won't be repeated.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Ms. Truss has been tight-lipped about her plans, but a
trade body plan to freeze prices is gaining traction.
- If implemented, CPI inflation will return to the 2% target in 2023, easing the pressure for further big rate hikes.
- Firms need help too, though we think Ms. Truss will cut business rates and provide grants, not reduce VAT.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
We expect Ofgem to announce today that the default tariff cap will increase by 80% in October.
This will boost CPI inflation by 4pp, assuming the ONS treats the government's grant as a fiscal transfer.
Core goods inflation, however, is set to fall sharply this winter; manufacturers and retailers have excess stock.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
Sterling has dropped, despite a sharp rise in Bank Rate expectations, because expected inflation has soared.
But the MPC will have flexibility if, as we expect, core inflation falls, boosting the expected real rate.
We expect the U.S. Fed to be more cautious than investors expect, easing some of the pressure on the MPC.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
