ECB may spark rate rises in Central-Eastern Europe

Significance Inflation rates are rising sharply across Central-Eastern Europe (CEE), mainly thanks to a recovery in commodity prices. A flurry of stronger-than-expected economic data is fuelling speculation in financial markets about the timing of increases in interest rates across the CEE region. Forward markets are already pricing in rate hikes in Romania and Poland within the next twelve months. Impacts Traders are now expecting the US Federal Reserve to achieve its goal of hiking interest rates three times this year. Emerging-market bond and equity funds are enjoying a surge in inflows, market sentiment having improved sharply after the US election. Mounting uncertainty regarding France’s presidential election next month is having a negligible impact on euro-area government bond markets.

Significance A more functional US-EU collaboration will have collateral effects on elite behaviour and agendas in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE). The emphasis of the Biden administration's foreign policy will shift to balancing security commitments with promoting liberal values such as democracy, human rights, anti-corruption measures and rule of law, but the region will not be high on his agenda. Impacts The Biden administration will backpedal on the Trump policy on Serbia and Kosovo and concentrate on preserving Balkan territorial integrity. EU pressure on eastern member states to transition away from coal industries will attract more US firms in the energy sector. The importance of the US diplomatic corps in pushing Biden's liberal-values agenda in CEE will be magnified.


Subject The prospects for Emerging Europe assets. Significance Despite record levels of outflows from emerging market (EM) bond and equity funds in 2015, the financial markets of Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) have remained remarkably resilient. They are likely to continue to outperform those of Latin America and Emerging Asia next year, because of a combination of relatively strong fundamentals and liquidity support from the ECB. Impacts Investor sentiment towards developing economies is now shaped almost entirely by dramatic declines in commodity prices. US monetary policy will now prove secondary to the plunge in oil prices. Growth in the CEE region picked up significantly this year and is still expected to remain relatively robust in 2016.


Subject The impact of ECB and US Fed policy on monetary policy in Central-Eastern Europe. Significance The pressure on central banks in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) to tighten monetary policy is easing slightly. The ECB offset its decision to terminate its quantitative easing (QE) programme in December with a pledge to refrain from raising interest rates until the second half of 2019. However, there is domestic pressure for tighter policy in some of the CEE region. This is most pronounced in Romania, where the National Bank (NBR) has already raised interest rates three times this year to counter a surge in inflation. Impacts The increasing divergence between US and European monetary policy is likely to push the euro down against the dollar. The dramatic escalation in tensions over global trade will keep German investor confidence at around its lowest level since 2012. OPEC and Russian attempts to reverse supply curbs and fears over the fallout from a full-blown trade war will curb further fuel price gains.


Significance The MNB’s first rate rise in a decade responds to headline inflation rising to the highest rate in the EU. The US Federal Reserve (Fed) decision to bring forward raising interest rates to 2023 is putting emerging market (EM) assets under increasing strain and heaping pressure on Central Europe’s central banks to begin tightening. Impacts Capital markets’ ‘hunt for yield’ will bolster EM bond and equity funds despite concerns about the Fed’s withdrawal of stimulus. The vast majority of investors are behaving as if the current surge in inflation will prove transitory. A sharp deterioration in sentiment may follow if price pressures last longer than expected. Brent crude’s rise to its highest level since October 2018, despite the recent rally in the US dollar, will fuel inflationary pressures.


Subject Trump enthusiasts in Central-Eastern Europe. Significance Some of the most vocal and high-ranking supporters abroad of the Republican candidate for the US presidency, Donald Trump, are in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE). The first sitting head of state or government to endorse Trump's bid was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; he has been joined by Czech President Milos Zeman. Given Trump's hints at waiving the US commitment to defending this strategically volatile region, this may mask a degree of cognitive dissonance. However, CEE leaders are pursuing domestic games and betting on the star of illiberalism rising, with good reason. Impacts The EU will face disunity and, potentially, disintegration, should it not alter its current 'single-speed' form. Russian President Vladimir Putin will get a freer hand; provocations against NATO and neighbouring states are likely to be ramped up. The appeal of the Western liberal order will dissipate and new, illiberal forms of development will proliferate in the world.


Significance This volatility is driven by expectations of further monetary stimulus in response to a slowing economy. Despite persistent concerns about the fallout from the anticipated tightening in US monetary policy and many country-specific risks, such as the standoff between Greece and its creditors, equity market sentiment remains supported by accommodative monetary policies worldwide and expectations of the US monetary policy tightening being gradual. Impacts Market volatility could increase further, as better-than-expected economic data in the euro-area vies with weaker-than-anticipated US data. Decoupling of surging equity prices and weak economic fundamentals threatens the rally's sustainability, increasing scope for volatility. This decoupling is most pronounced in China, where weak economic data prompt buying of equities in anticipation of stimulus measures. The greatest risk in equity markets is uncertainty surrounding US interest rates and their impact on emerging markets.


Significance This drop has taken oil into its second bear market in the space of just over a year amid a broader rout in the prices of commodities, notably copper and gold. The commodity sell-off is fuelled by mounting concerns over the economy and financial markets of China, the world's top crude importer and its largest energy user. The sell-off is exacerbated by fears over the fallout from a US interest rates rise, which could come as early as September. Country-specific risks are weighing on emerging market (EM) assets, notably the currencies of large commodity exporters such as Brazil and Russia. Impacts The sharp fall in commodity prices will exert further downward pressure on inflation in both emerging and advanced economies. Re-emerging disinflationary trends will bode ill for the ECB efforts to boost inflation in the euro-area. The commodity sell-off will exacerbate economic and political crises in Brazil and Russia. The EM currencies fall is forcing many central banks to signal an end to monetary easing or to tighten policy.


Subject Prospects for emerging economies to end-2016. Significance Despite political risks causing bouts of volatility in countries such as Brazil and Turkey, emerging market (EM) growth prospects have improved moderately and asset prices have rebounded after the turbulence of early 2016. More stability in exchange rates has helped, with the US Federal Reserve (Fed) holding off raising rates. The rebound in commodity prices has been supportive, too, together with receding concerns about China's slowdown. Some countries have also eased fiscal policy to reduce social tensions risks.


Subject Prospects for Central-Eastern Europe in 2017. Significance In the absence of robust business confidence, Central Europe and the Baltic states (CEB) will implement short-term monetary and fiscal policies to support growth; GDP growth will suffer from global market vicissitudes and rising political tensions in key trading partners inside and outside the EU. The crisis in the EU will continue to bear down on South-Eastern Europe (SEE), bringing an effective end to the policy of enlargement.


Subject US monetary policy outlook for 2016 and its global impact. Significance There is a large discrepancy between the US Federal Reserve (Fed)'s estimates for interest rates at end-2016 and the expectations of bond investors. The latter are anticipating less tightening than the 100-basis-point (bp) rise in the Federal Funds rate the Fed has pencilled in for this year. Despite a successful rates 'lift-off' on December 16, the Fed faces many challenges in raising rates in the face of mounting stress in credit markets, disinflationary pressures from the plunge in commodity prices and a contraction manufacturing. Impacts While the Fed will tighten policy, other central banks, including the ECB, will provide further stimulus, accentuating policy divergence. Investors will price in a more hawkish Fed if US inflation accelerates faster than expected, potentially leading to a sell-off. Concerns about China's economy and the commodity prices slump will also shape investor sentiment.


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