The slowdown is spreading widely. Although it is reasonable to expect growth to normalise, several sources of uncertainty (fears of a trade war, Brexit, the US government shutdown, etc.) are acting as headwinds. China has already announced new measures, and in the United States, the Federal Reserve is insisting on its patience (concerning inflation) and flexibility when it comes to adapting monetary policy.
The assumption that the US economy is heading for a landing is gaining ground, not just because of the shutdown. The disruption created by the trade war with China, the appreciation of risk on bond and equity markets, the peaking of the energy sector and the deterioration of real estate indices all suggest less buoyant growth. This view is shared by the US Federal Reserve, which has adopted a more cautious tone and suspended the increase in policy rates pending future macroeconomic data.
After an eventful first twenty years, the eurozone is moving into a new phase of uncertainty. Growth has slowed markedly, and economic indicators have deteriorated. With temporary shocks and structural drags on growth, 2019 brings numerous risks. Against this background, and faced with underlying inflation that remains too low, the European Central Bank (ECB) is taking a cautious approach to this new year.
Economic growth has slowed markedly since the second quarter of 2018 and business surveys indicate that it is unlikely to change in the coming months. The exporting manufacturing sector is much affected by the slowdown in world trade. In the coming quarters, the domestic economy is likely to become the major engine behind growth thanks to an expansionary fiscal policy. More fiscal stimulus could be expected if the economy would slow further. This would also shore up the chances of the coalition parties at the next federal election set for 2021.
2019 is getting off to a less strong start, with economic activity having taken a hit from the ‘gilets jaunes’ protest movement. The collapse in consumer confidence has been abrupt and the global environment looks less certain. Against this background, fiscal policy is being loosened: the new plan to support the purchasing power of lower income households, announced in response to December’s demonstrations, should help consumer spending to catch up, at least in part. It comes alongside measures already introduced in the 2018 budget to support consumers and companies. French growth is therefore likely to show signs of resistance.
At the end of 2018, Italy and the European Commission agreed on a new 2019 Budget Law, avoiding an Excessive Deficit Procedure. The 2019 public deficit has been lowered to 2% of GDP from 2.4% previously planned, and real GDP growth has been revised downward to 1% from +1.5%. This is still a challenging scenario as overall conditions in the Italian economy worsened in H2 2018. In Q3, GDP fell by 0.1% as investment, both private and public, significantly declined. After the downturn in September, exports in Italy recorded a +9.6% y/y increase in October, while they stagnated in November bringing the value of the sales abroad to 427 billion euros in the first eleven months of the year.
The current slowdown is in keeping with the European economic cycle. Prospects are still looking relatively good, and Spain’s expected growth rate is among the highest of the big eurozone countries. Unemployment is falling rapidly but it is still massive, especially long-term unemployment. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez just presented his 2019 budget proposal to Parliament, but he is not sure it will pass. In any case, the deficit most likely slipped significantly below 3% of GDP in 2018, and Spain is preparing to exit the excessive deficit procedure that was launched 10 years ago.
Economic growth slowed to 6.6% in 2018 from 6.9% in 2017 and should continue to decelerate in the short term. The extent of the slowdown will depend on the still highly uncertain evolution of trade tensions between China and the United States as well as on Beijing’s counter-cyclical policy measures. However, the central bank’s manoeuvring room is severely constrained by the economy’s excessive debt burden and the threat of capital outflows. Moreover, whereas Beijing has pursued efforts to improve financial regulation and the health of state-owned companies over the past two years, its new priorities increase the risk of interruption in this clean-up process. Faced with this situation, the central government will have to make greater use of fiscal stimulus measures.
India’s economic growth slowed between July and September 2018, hard hit by the increase in the oil bill. The sharp decline in oil prices since October will ease pressures, at least temporarily, on public finances and the balance of payments, and in turn on the Indian rupee (INR), which depreciated by 9% against the dollar in 2018. In a less favourable economic environment, Narendra Modi’s BJP party lost its hold on three states during recent legislative elections.
The election of Jair Bolsonaro at the presidency of Brazil has marked a swing to the right, the weakening of traditional political parties and a return of the military to national politics. The new administration faces the challenges of rapidly engaging its fiscal reform, gaining the trust of foreign investors while reconciling ideological differences across its ranks. How society will adjust to a new era of liberal economic policy remains the greatest unknown. Meanwhile, the economy is still recovering at a slow pace. Supply-side indicators continue to show evidence of idle capacity while labour market conditions have yet to markedly improve. Sentiment indicators have shown large upswings in recent months which should help build some momentum in economic activity over Q1 2019.
In 2018, Russia swung back into growth and a fiscal surplus, increased its current account surplus and created a defeasance structure to clean up the banking sector. The “new” Putin government affirmed its determination to boost the potential growth rate by raising the retirement age and launching a vast public spending programme for the next six years. Yet the economy faces increasing short-term risks. Monetary tightening and the 1 January VAT increase could hamper growth. There is also the risk of tighter US sanctions, which could place more downward pressure on the rouble.
On 15 January 2019, UK MPs rejected the proposed Brexit agreement reached by EU Heads of State two months earlier. With 432 of the 634 votes going against the deal, this result has significantly weakened Prime Minister Theresa May in future discussions with the EU and with Members of Parliament. Today almost anything looks possible, starting with a delay in the official date of the UK’s departure, currently scheduled for 29 March.
The COP24 only succeed in agreeing on rules on measuring, reporting and verifying carbon emissions. In the meantime, the world is falling behind the objective to limit global warming to 1.5°C. CO2 emissions are set to rise to 2030, whereas they should peak by 2020. Countries are underestimating the urgency for action or held back by commercial interests. Moreover, environmental legislation is met by growing public resistance. It demands a better framing of climate policies. Moreover, the climate change discussion should be broadened to the WTO.
