In the early phase of QE, financial markets perceive central bank forward guidance on asset purchases and on policy rates to be closely linked. This generates a mutual reinforcement of both instruments. At a later stage, there may be mounting concern that the signalling works in the other direction as well. Scaling back asset purchases could be interpreted as a signal that a rate hike will follow soon once the net purchases have ended. In the US, Jerome Powell has been very clear that tapering would not signal a change in the outlook for the federal funds rate. In the Eurozone, both types of guidance are explicitly linked. This may complicate the scaling back of asset purchases in view of the impact on rate expectations
The global manufacturing PMI has eased further in August and is now about two points below the peak reached in June. The levels remain very high in the developed economies but the latest country dynamics show considerable divergence with the index moving higher in Canada, Greece, Hong Kong and Indonesia. It jumped in South-Africa after a plunge in July. In most countries, the PMI is stabilising of trending lower, like is the case in the US and the Eurozone. In China, it has moved below 50. Vietnam saw another big drop.
In his traditional monetary-policy speech to the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell expressed satisfaction with the latest US jobs market figures. He had good reason to do so: in the three months from June to August, the US economy created more than 2.2 million jobs (non-farm activities), including almost 800.000 in the resurgent tourism industry (hotels, restaurants, leisure etc.). Although the Covid-19 jobs deficit remains large (around 5.5 million) and although the unemployment rate is still too high by American standards (5.2%), the situation is gradually returning to normal.
After rising for almost two months, Covid-19 infections are stabilising globally but remain high. In the week of 25-31 August, 4.6 million new cases were reported (chart 1), similar to the previous week’s figure. However, the trend varies between the world’s regions, with cases rising in North America (+4.6%) and falling in South America (-15.2%) and in Africa (-6.4%), while the situation is stabilising in Europe (due to declines in France and Spain – see chart 4) and in Asia. The vaccine rollout is continuing to accelerate around the world. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 5.4 billion vaccine doses have been given worldwide (chart 2).
