The significant decline of Treasury yields from their peak at the end of March is puzzling given the growth forecasts and the recent inflation data. This suggests that investors side with the Fed in thinking that inflation will decline. It also reflects the weakening of data in recent weeks, which implies that markets focus more on the change in the growth rate than on its level. The sensitivity of bond yields to economic data moves in cycles. One should expect that, as seen in the past, a less accommodative US monetary policy would increase this sensitivity because these data will shape expectations of more tightening or not
Economic growth reached 7.9% year-on-year (y/y) in Q2 2021 vs. 18.3% in Q1 2021. This apparent slowdown is the result of growth rates gradually returning to normal in all sectors and all demand components; it was largely expected as base effects have become less favourable since last spring. This trend explains the contraction of the blue area compared to the dotted area in our Monthly Economic Pulse.
With nearly 35,000 new daily cases reported last week, the Covid-19 virus is gaining ground again in the UK. There is an encouraging sign, however, that proves the effectiveness of the vaccine: the number of severe cases seems to be increasing much less rapidly than during previous waves.
The number of new Covid-19 cases continues to rise worldwide. The surge is due to the Delta variant, which is much more contagious than the other variants. It has now spread to more than 110 countries. The number of daily cases passed the half million mark on July 13 and 14.
