Global Economy Slows, but Seems to Be Faring Better Than Feared
A weak start to 2023 is expected in many rich countries, but U.S. and European slumps could be relatively short
A weak start to 2023 is expected in many rich countries, but U.S. and European slumps could be relatively short
The global economy continued to deteriorate as 2022 draws to a close, but not as severely as economists previously feared, raising the possibility the world could avoid a deep slump next year.
Business surveys released Wednesday pointed to declines in output across the U.S. and Europe’s largest economies in November. But the figures and other economic readings pointed to a mixed outlook, with some parts of both economies continuing to show resilience despite high inflation and rising interest rates.
In China, the world’s second-largest economy, the outlook is highly uncertain as the country faces a surge in Covid-19 cases. Economists expect a rebound in growth next year as Beijing attempts to ease tough pandemic policies.
A tight U.S. labour market and still strong household balance sheets are supporting consumer spending, the economy’s main engine. A healthy consumer helped power retail sales in October and could keep the world’s largest economy growing at the end of this year. The U.S. outlook depends in part on how it weathers the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate increases aimed at cooling inflation that is running near a 40-year high.
Europe is experiencing less economic disruption from Russia’s decision to limit energy supplies than analysts earlier feared. Many households and businesses in the region are adapting by, for instance, cutting back on energy consumption, said Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. European governments also distributed larger-than-anticipated sums of fiscal support to households to help address rising energy and food costs, he added.
“We’re going to end up with more than 75% of the world’s economy actually doing pretty well,” Mr. Posen said. The U.S. and European Union “are likely to have relatively short, not terrible recessions and return to growth possibly by as early as the fourth quarter of 2023.”
Still, many developing countries are falling behind. David Malpass, the head of the World Bank, earlier warned developing countries face an additional economic risk: Policies adopted by advanced economies to address inflation and economic slowdown could leave insufficient capital for poorer nations.
S&P Global said its composite output index for the U.S., which includes services and manufacturing activity, fell to 46.3 in November from 48.2 a month earlier, among the quickest contractions since 2009. An index below 50 signals contracting economic activity, while above 50 signals growth.
“Companies are reporting increasing headwinds from the rising cost of living, tightening financial conditions—notably higher borrowing costs—and weakened demand across both home and export markets,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
U.S. businesses reported that inflationary pressures eased in November, however, with prices for materials and freight costs cooling.
The economic cost of higher energy prices was evident in surveys of purchasing managers at European businesses, which recorded another month of declining activity in November. S&P Global said its composite output index for the eurozone rose to 47.8 in November from 47.3 in October, but remained below the 50 mark that distinguishes a contraction from an expansion.
The global economic outlook remains highly uncertain. One big question in the U.S. is how quickly inflation comes down. The pace at which it does will help determine how high the Fed raises interest rates and how long it keeps them there. The central bank has raised rates at the fastest pace since the 1980s this year. Many economists expect higher borrowing costs to hurt spending with greater force in the coming months, threatening U.S. growth.
Fed staff early this month saw a U.S. recession next year “as almost as likely” as their baseline projection of weak growth, according to minutes of the policy makers’ Nov. 1-2 policy meeting released Wednesday. That represented a downgrade of the economic outlook due to the tightening in financial conditions that had occurred this fall.
Europe’s economies face the strongest economic headwinds in the months ahead. Russian natural-gas giant Gazprom PJSC on Tuesday threatened to further throttle exports to Europe via Ukraine from next week, putting in question one of the last remaining routes for Russian gas to reach Europe.
A reduction in Covid-19 restrictions in China is key to an expected rebound in growth there next year, but the recent surge in infections has raised questions about how quickly that can proceed.
“This fine-tuning of its Covid-19 policy is now being tested as cases continue to climb, especially in its manufacturing hub of Guangzhou,” said Magdalene Teo, head of fixed income research in Asia for Julius Baer. “China is realising that reopening this winter will not be easy.”
Many forecasters see global output rising by around 2% next year. That would be a sharp deceleration from this year and well below its 3.3% average in the decade leading up to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but still producing a small rise in output per person.
Even with a weak start to 2023 expected in many of the world’s richest countries, economists are wary of forecasting a global recession.
“Even though we do not formally forecast a global recession from a narrow technical viewpoint, it will feel like one for large parts of the global economy,” said Marcelo Carvalho, global head of economics at BNP Paribas.
In practical terms, this means the hardship many nations, businesses and consumers around the world have experienced this year—with strong regional variations—isn’t over.
The U.S. is expected to eke out meagre gains next year. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projects U.S. economic output will grow at an annual rate of 0.5% in 2023, down from an estimated 1.8% in 2022. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal think U.S. gross domestic product will grow at an annual rate of 0.4% in 2023, and they see a rising chance for a recession in the next year.
Europe seems likely to avoid the worst outcomes from energy disruptions. A mild October and high levels of gas storage make it less likely that Europe’s factories will face energy rationing. As a result, economists at Barclays expect a 1.3% drop in gross domestic product there, less than their worst-case scenario of a 5% decline.
While conditions could start improving next year, economists warned the global economy remains in a precarious position.
“The risks that things could go wrong are increasing compared to where they were in the past few months,” said Alvaro Pereira, acting chief economist at the OECD.
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New research suggests spending 40 percent of household income on loan repayments is the new normal
Requiring more than 30 percent of household income to service a home loan has long been considered the benchmark for ‘housing stress’. Yet research shows it is becoming the new normal. The 2024 ANZ CoreLogic Housing Affordability Report reveals home loans on only 17 percent of homes are ‘serviceable’ if serviceability is limited to 30 percent of the median national household income.
Based on 40 percent of household income, just 37 percent of properties would be serviceable on a mortgage covering 80 percent of the purchase price. ANZ CoreLogic suggest 40 may be the new 30 when it comes to home loan serviceability. “Looking ahead, there is little prospect for the mortgage serviceability indicator to move back into the 30 percent range any time soon,” says the report.
“This is because the cash rate is not expected to be cut until late 2024, and home values have continued to rise, even amid relatively high interest rate settings.” ANZ CoreLogic estimate that home loan rates would have to fall to about 4.7 percent to bring serviceability under 40 percent.
CoreLogic has broken down the actual household income required to service a home loan on a 6.27 percent interest rate for an 80 percent loan based on current median house and unit values in each capital city. As expected, affordability is worst in the most expensive property market, Sydney.
Sydney
Sydney’s median house price is $1,414,229 and the median unit price is $839,344.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $211,456 to afford a home loan for a house and $125,499 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $120,554.
Melbourne
Melbourne’s median house price is $935,049 and the median apartment price is $612,906.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $139,809 to afford a home loan for a house and $91,642 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $110,324.
Brisbane
Brisbane’s median house price is $909,988 and the median unit price is $587,793.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $136,062 to afford a home loan for a house and $87,887 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $107,243.
Adelaide
Adelaide’s median house price is $785,971 and the median apartment price is $504,799.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $117,519 to afford a home loan for a house and $75,478 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $89,806.
Perth
Perth’s median house price is $735,276 and the median unit price is $495,360.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $109,939 to afford a home loan for a house and $74,066 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $108,057.
Hobart
Hobart’s median house price is $692,951 and the median apartment price is $522,258.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $103,610 to afford a home loan for a house and $78,088 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $89,515.
Darwin
Darwin’s median house price is $573,498 and the median unit price is $367,716.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $85,750 to afford a home loan for a house and $54,981 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $126,193.
Canberra
Canberra’s median house price is $964,136 and the median apartment price is $585,057.
Based on 40 percent serviceability, households need a total income of $144,158 to afford a home loan for a house and $87,478 for a unit. The city’s actual median household income is $137,760.
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