- In one line: On track for a June rate cut.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: Still uncomfortably weak enough for the MPC to cut rates.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: Encouraging as higher mortgage rates slow price inflation only a little.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- A triple whammy of changes from the MPC suggests a June rate cut is more likely than not.
- Two rate-setters voted for a cut, and MPC forecasts indicate three Bank Rate reductions this year.
- The MPC’s guidance signals that pay settlements data over the next two months could seal the deal.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- We expect PAYE employment to rise 20K in April, and March’s fall to be revised smaller.
- The jobless rate should rise to 4.3%, and private-sector regular pay will gain 0.4% month-to-month.
- Wages will likely beat the MPC’s forecast but preserve the picture of a gradually easing labour market.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: Construction growth back with a bang.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: Weak private car sales suggest consumer caution.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: A grim April but retail sales should recover as the weather improves.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- We expect CPI inflation to fall to 2.1% in April, from 3.2% in March, matching the MPC’s forecast.
- Ofgem’s utility price-cap cut contributes about a third of that inflation fall, the rest is broad-based.
- Services inflation likely slowed to 5.4% in April, 0.1pp stronger than the MPC expects.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- The April composite PMI signals 0.4% quarter-to-quarter growth, above the MPC’s 0.1% forecast.
- Rising new orders and buoyant business confidence suggest that solid growth will be maintained.
- Services inflation slowed according to the PMI, but input costs surged after April’s minimum-wage hike.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line:Lower borrowing costs sparked a wave of refinancing in Q1, which likely will unwind in Q2.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: Strengthening growth and slowing inflation, but watch the jump in input costs.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- Inflation and growth have beaten MPC forecasts, but market rate expectations have overreacted.
- So, next week’s new MPC forecasts will signal earlier and more cuts than the market is currently pricing.
- We expect the MPC to vote 8-to-1 to keep rates onhold and still look for the first cut in June.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: Two corrections starts to become a trend.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- In one line: Manufacturing almost stabilised but input cost inflation jumped.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- We think GDP was unchanged in March, after rising 0.1% in February.
- That would be enough to deliver Q1 growth of 0.4% quarter-to-quarter, above the MPC’s 0.1% forecast.
- Consumer services contributed 0.16pp of that, but the turnaround has been
broad-based across sectors.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- The renewed rise in mortgage rates in April suggests the March pick-up in secured credit demand will reverse...
- ...But stronger demand for unsecured credit is here to stay; debt levels remain very low relative to incomes.
- The March jump in corporate-bond issuance likely was a one-off, but the outlook for capex is benign.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- We expect quarter-to-quarter GDP growth to average 0.3% this year, driven by consumer spending.
- Energy price cuts will pull inflation below 2% in May; strong services will push inflation to 2.3% in Q4.
- We expect the MPC to cut Bank Rate three times this year, starting in June, but the risk is it eases only twice.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
- Consumer confidence in the economic outlook lies close to its average in the second half of the 2010s.
- Moreover, consumers’ unemployment expectations have fallen to their lowest since February 2022.
- We expect 0.5% quarter-to-quarter consumption growth in 2024, but delays to rate cuts pose a risk.
Rob Wood (Chief UK Economist)UK
