- We are bringing forward our forecast for the next two increases in Bank Rate, following December's CPI data.
- While food, energy and goods prices are mainly to blame for high inflation, services inflation has risen too.
- CPI inflation, however, will fall sharply in H2 and should be below target in 2023, curtailing the hiking cycle.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Employment has continued to rise, despite the withdrawal of the furlough scheme and the Omicron hit...
- ...But growth will slow soon; few people who want a job don't have one, while employment taxes will rise in April.
- Wage growth has cooled, despite the tight job market; real wages look set to fall sharply this year.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
Markets now expect the MPC to hike Bank Rate to 0.50% in February, following today's surprise hike.
Most members, however, thought the decision was "finely balanced" and see a "modest" tightening ahead.
Omicron won't just have short-term effects if the MPC hikes again and pushes firms over the edge.
Samuel Tombs and Gabriella DickensU.K.
The unemployment rate continued to fall in October, despite the end of the furlough scheme.
Some full-time workers have become part-timers post-furlough, but they don't seem to want more hours.
Wage growth, however, slowed to a below-inflation rate in October; the real wage squeeze will get worse.
Samuel Tombs and Gabriella DickensU.K.
- October's 4.2% rate of CPI inflation was well above the MPC's 3.9% forecast; such a large error margin is rare.
- The upside surprise came from the core, and will carry over to future months; April's peak looks set to top 5%.
- Mean-reversion in energy and goods prices, however, should ensure that CPI inflation dips below 2% in 2023.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- The 0.6% m/m rise in payroll employee numbers in October implies unemployment didn't rise post-furlough...
- ...But the drop in median pay in October suggests many furloughed staff have returned only part-time.
- Year-over-year growth in wages continued to slow in September; no sign of a wage-price spiral forming.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Households' medium-term inflation expectations fell by 0.1pp to 3.7% in October, according to YouGov/Citi.
- Nearly all the rise in expectations can be explained by current inflation rates; no sign of de-anchoring.
- Manufacturing output isn't that sensitive to energy prices; we continue to expect modest growth in Q4.
Samuel Tombs and Gabriella DickensU.K.
- The MPC's preferred measure of underlying services inflation merely matched its 2010s average in September.
- CPI inflation is on course to rise to a peak of about 4.8% in April, from 3.1% in September...
- ...But the rise will be driven largely by higher energy prices; core inflation should remain well-behaved.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Are you sure Governor Bailey said something new on Sunday? Governor Bailey thought not.
- The statement "we will have to act" was qualified; medium-term inflation expectations need to be worrying.
- Confidence has fallen in response to rising inflation expectations; workers don't expect wages to keep pace.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- The labour market continued to tighten in Q3, but employment and hours still were below their potential.
- Labour supply likely has increased much more than labour demand in Q4, now that the CJRS has ended.
- Unit wage costs were kept in check by a productivity rebound; rising labour supply will cool wage growth in Q4.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Markets see a 50% chance of the MPC hiking Bank Rate next month; December viewed as a done deal.
- November still seems too early; the MPC saw "a high option value" in waiting for post-furlough jobs data.
- Inflation expectations exceed the rate implied by current inflation, but this residual isn't a reliable wage signal.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Furlough scheme usage fell only marginally in August; 4.6% of staff still were furloughed by month-end.
- Furlough rates remain high at small businesses, who lack the financial muscle to bring all staff back.
- We expect only a modest rise in the unemployment rate to 5% in Q4, but a big jump in underemployment.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- We have lowered our forecast for Q4 GDP, due to the impaired supply of fuel and industrial inputs.
- Surging energy prices have forced us to hike our forecast for CPI inflation in 2022 to 3.4%, from 2.5%.
- We now expect the Committee to hike Bank Rate in Q2 2022, but we don't buy investors' hawkish view.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- The ONS estimates that underlying year-over-year growth in wages was between 3.6% and 5.1% in July...
- ...We expect an increase in labour market slack, post-furlough, to push this rate down to about 3.2%.
- Employers will pass on higher NICs rates to staff, while public sector pay will rise only modestly next year.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
Markets now expect the MPC to raise Bank Rate twice next year, with the first hike as soon as February.
The MPC, however, will focus on labour market slack and the prospects for its elimination, not just inflation.
The recovery has faded, implying many furloughed staff will be underemployed in Q4; the MPC needn't rush.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Payroll employee numbers returned in August to their pre-Covid peak, but will dip in Q4, after furlough ends.
- We expect the unemployment rate to rise to 5.0% in Q4, from 4.5% in Q3; slack within firms will build too.
- Three-month-on-three-month annualised growth in wages fell to 3.2% in July; slack will keep it in check.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- Employee numbers have rebounded since the spring, but total employment is lagging behind.
- Vacancies are high, but are concentrated in different sectors to those which will see post-furlough layoffs.
- High inflation and 4-to-5% unemployment didn't lift wage growth in 2017, and probably won't this time.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
- CPI inflation probably declined to 2.1% in July from 2.5% in June, below the consensus, 2.3%.
- Clothing prices appear to have fallen sharply, as usual; they dropped only marginally a year ago.
- Surveys suggest the pace of increases in catering services prices has slowed down.
Samuel Tombs (UK Economist)U.K.
