Archive

June 25, 2025
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Defence Spending Is Not Stimulative

  • NATO raised its target for defence spending to 5% of GDP, with Spain opting out. This increases pressure for tighter monetary conditions than were otherwise appropriate.
  • Defence spending offers weak growth multipliers, so the policy is more likely to stoke deficits than productivity. Central banks may respond with a more hawkish stance.
  • With debt levels already high, the move risks crowding out other spending and lifting sovereign risk premiums. Bond yields suffer from higher deficits and future rates.

By Philip Rush

June 24, 2025
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Israel/Iran/US: Ten Pointers

  • ‘Events’ over the past four days have underlined how hard it is to forecast with any degree of confidence how the Iran/Israel conflict will unfold. However, and recent headline-driven volatility notwithstanding, the supply/demand equation continues to dominate market thinking on oil.

By Alastair Newton

June 17, 2025
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US/China: Sprint vs Stamina

  • Last week’s US/China trade talks underlined the extent to which Beijing has the upper hand in terms of both leverage and willingness to dig in. Avoiding a re-escalation at the end of the current 90-day truce, therefore, depends on Washington giving more ground.

By Alastair Newton

June 09, 2025
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Trade Avoidance Easing Shocks

  • China’s crashing exports to the US partly reflect avoidance measures, including rerouting through other countries and marking down import prices to subsidiaries.
  • Exports to the EU and UK are only trending slightly higher, making little difference to disinflation. ASEAN countries, and especially Vietnam, are seeing trade surge again.
  • The US may clamp down on avoidance measures that have eased the shock so far. It could make a painful example of one to encourage concessions from all trade partners.

By Philip Rush

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