Global Economy Update February 2025
Global Economy Update February 2025
%
4.0
2.0 3.0
%
1.5 2.0
1.0
1.0
0.0
0.5 2023 2024 E 2025 P 2026 P
0.0 World
2010-19 2023 2024 E 2025 P 2026 P Advanced Economies
(Historical
Average) Emerging Market and Developing Economies
• Global GDP growth forecasted at 3.3% in 2025 (Vs 3.2% in 2024), still lagging behind the historical average of 3.7% recorded from 2010–19.
• Global inflation is projected to ease from 5.7% in 2024 to 4.2% by 2025 and 3.5% by 2026.
• However, trade policy uncertainty and potential tariff effects could disrupt the disinflation process.
2
Divergent Growth Trends
• Key revisions to 2025 projections: US growth revised up by 0.5 pp, while Euro Area growth revised down by 0.2 pp.
• Growth is expected to rise in the Euro Area, Japan, UK and South Africa in 2025 compared to 2024, while India’s growth is expected to remain stable.
• In contrast, growth in China, Brazil and Mexico is projected to slow in 2025 compared to 2024.
3
Asia Pacific
4
China: 2024 GDP Growth Meets Government Target
10 20
10
YoY %
5
%
0
-10
0
-20
-5 -30
-40
-10
-50
Dec-21
Dec-19
Jun-19
Jun-21
Jun-22
Jun-23
Jun-24
Sep-19
Jun-20
Sep-21
Sep-23
Sep-20
Dec-20
Sep-22
Dec-22
Dec-23
Sep-24
Dec-24
Mar-19
Mar-21
Mar-22
Mar-23
Mar-24
Mar-20
2001
2000
2009
2002
2005
2003
2004
2006
2007
2008
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2016
2017
2021
2023
2015
2018
2019
2020
2022
2024
Consumption Investment Net Exports Real GDP Growth Floor Space Started Floor Space Sold
Source: CEIC, National Bureau of Statistics Source: CEIC, National Bureau of Statistics
• China’s economic growth in Q4 2024 exceeded market expectations, bringing the full-year real GDP growth to 5%.
• Exports played a key role in supporting the economy, partly driven by front-loading of orders ahead of potential US tariff hikes.
• Amid ongoing property sector slowdown and weak consumption, GDP growth in 2024 was lower than 5.4% growth recorded in 2023.
• Global trade war, with Trump imposing an additional 10% tariff on China and China retaliating with tariffs, is a concerning aspect.
5
India: Centre Balances Consumption Boost Along with Fiscal Consolidation
8
6.7
Rs Trillion
2.5 12 6.4
% of GDP
5.6
4.8 6
%
Source: Union Budget Documents; CareEdge. Source: Union Budget Documents; CareEdge.
Note: (A): Actuals; (RE): Revised Estimate; (BE): Budget Estimate Note: (A): Actuals; (RE): Revised Estimate; (BE): Budget Estimate
• Union Budget FY26 aims at boosting consumption in the economy via reducing income tax burden.
• Capex focus is expected to continue with budgeted growth of 10.1% (y-o-y) in FY26, taking it to Rs 11.2 trillion.
• Total expenditure is budgeted to decline to 14.2% of GDP in FY26 (Vs 14.6% in FY25); Revex-to-GDP to moderate while capex-to-GDP will be maintained in FY26.
• FY26 fiscal deficit is budgeted at 4.4% of GDP, moderating from 4.8% in FY25.
6
Japan: Interest Payment Burden to Increase with Monetary Policy Normalisation
Government's Interest Payments (Trillion Yen) Tenor Profile of Japanese Government Bonds (JGB)
(%)
16.1
76.5
10.5
7.6
19.0
3.6
Long term (10 years or Medium term (2 to 5 years) Short term (less than 1
2023 2026 (P) 2029 (P) more) year)
Source: MoF, Japan, Reuters Source: MoF, Japan, Sep 24
• BoJ increased short term interest rate by 25 bps in Jan 25 to 0.5%, with no forward guidance on long term interest rates.
• With increasing short term and long term interest rates, the government's interest payment burden is projected to increase by nearly 50% in 3 year period.
• However, large part of the government debt is domestic and long term in nature.
7
Korea: Recent Political Turmoil Does Not Pose Significant Near-Term Credit Risks
60
50
% of GDP
40
30
20
10
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 P 2025 P 2026 P 2027 P 2028 P 2029 P
• The Republic of Korea’s brief encounter with martial law and its subsequent revocation reflects political fault lines as well as institutional resilience, as the
government and central bank responded swiftly to the crisis.
• The political turmoil is unlikely to significantly alter Korea’s credit outlook, as government debt is low (around 51% of GDP in 2023) and debt affordability is
strong. Further, low external debt (around 39% of GDP in 2023) limits the risks from exchange rate fluctuations.
• Please refer to the following link for Korea Credit Update Click Here
8
The Americas
9
US: Labor Market Solid, Inflation Somewhat Elevated
300
3.0
250
Thousand
200 2.0
%
150
1.0
100
50 0.0
Jan-24
Nov-24
May-24
Jun-24
Sep-24
Dec-24
Apr-24
Oct-24
Mar-24
Feb-24
Jul-24
Aug-24
0
Sep-24
Jan-24
Jun-24
Nov-24
May-24
Apr-24
Jul-24
Dec-24
Mar-24
Oct-24
Feb-24
Aug-24
• US economy added 256K jobs in December, the highest in nine months, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from 4.2% in November.
• Headline PCE inflation has picked up to 2.6% in December from 2.1% in September 2024, while core PCE inflation has been sticky around 2.7-2.8%.
• As expected, the Fed kept the policy interest rate unchanged at 4.25-4.50% in the January meet. A 25bps rate cut is now expected in May or June.
10
US: Policies by President Trump During His Initial Days in Office
• The government aims to limit legal/illegal immigration and declared national emergency at the US-
Immigration Mexico border.
and • Mass deportation have begun to Mexico and Colombia.
Citizenship • President Trump’s plan to end automatic birthright citizenship for children of illegal migrants and
those temporarily in US has been blocked by a US federal judge in Seattle.
• On Feb 1, US announced a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, though in few days the
Tariffs decision was put on hold for 30 days, as both the countries agreed to implement strong border
controls amidst negotiations
• US' decision to impose an additional tariff of 10% on China remains.
11
Canada: Bank Of Canada Expects Lower Growth In Canada Due to Tariffs
5.0 3.0
2.5
4.0
2.0
YoY %
YoY %
3.0
1.5
2.0
1.0
1.0 0.5
0.0 0.0
Feb-24
Mar-24
Jan-24
Apr-24
Jul-24
May-24
Jun-24
Nov-24
Sep-24
Dec-24
Oct-24
Aug-24
Jun-22
Jun-23
Jun-24
Sep-22
Sep-23
Sep-24
Dec-22
Dec-23
Mar-22
Mar-23
Mar-24
Source: CEIC Source: CEIC
• Bank of Canada's benchmark calibration assumes real GDP growth is about 2.5 percentage points lower in the first year of imposing tariffs and 1.5 percentage
points lower in the second year. The benchmark calibration assumes growth to return to normal by the third year of imposing tariffs.
• Canadian consumer prices are expected to rise due to the imposition of tariffs as imports of final consumer goods and intermediate inputs used to produce
final goods from the US make up about 13% of the CPI basket in Canada.
• Bank of Canada's benchmark calibration assumes CPI to increase 0.1 percentage point in the first year due to tariffs. CPI may increase by 0.8 percentage point
if there is a faster tariff pass-through to consumer prices.
12
Canada: Justin Trudeau Resigns as Prime Minister
• Lack of confidence within the party and possibility of a no-confidence motion in the January 2025 parliamentary session.
• More than half of the 153 MPs from the ruling party called for Trudeau’s resignation.
• Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland’s resignation also hinted at a crack within the party.
Way Forward
• Trudeau received a prorogation (ending Parliamentary session) of Parliament until March 24, which means no confidence
motion can be passed till then.
• Until then, Trudeau will remain the Prime Minister with powers including statutory authority.
• The next Liberal Party leader is expected to serve as the Prime Minister until October 20, 2025, when the next elections
are due.
• The appointment of the next Prime Minister is crucial to navigate the Canada–US relationship.
13
Argentina: High Inflation is Cooling Down Led by Food Inflation
YoY, %
200
150
200
YoY, %
100
150 50
0
Nov-23
Jun-24
Jan-24
Nov-24
May-24
Sep-23
Apr-24
Dec-23
Sep-24
Dec-24
Oct-23
Oct-24
Mar-24
Feb-24
Jul-24
Aug-24
100
50
Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (weightage-26.9%)
0 Clothing & Footwear (weightage-9.9%)
May-24
Nov-23
Jan-24
Jun-24
Nov-24
Sep-23
Sep-24
Apr-24
Dec-23
Dec-24
Oct-23
Mar-24
Oct-24
Feb-24
Jul-24
Aug-24
Equipment & Home Maintenance (weightage-6.4%)
Recreation & Culture (weightage-7.3%)
• Austerity measures were implemented in Argentina in December 2023, when prices increased by 211% YoY. The measures included cutting public spending,
devaluing the currency, and raising import taxes.
• The measures resulted in cooling down of inflation to 118% in December 2024 from an all time high of 289% in April 2024.
• The decline in inflation is led by Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Clothing & Footwear, Equipment & Home Maintenance, and Recreation & Culture.
14
Brazil: Real Weakens Sharply Led by Investors Concern on Fiscal Woes
Brazil Real Performance (Year End, YoY, %) Federal Public Debt Profile (%)
'-' appreciation, '+' depreciation
27.9 43.7
29.2
22.7
7.3
4.4
-6.5 -5.7
-7.3 Fixed rate Floating rate Inflation linked Exchange rate
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (YtD) (SELIC)
• Brazilian Real was the worst performing currency with 28% depreciation in 2024 led by scepticism about effective fiscal management by the government.
• Share of floating rate linked debt is at a high of 44% of total government debt, resulting in huge concerns around debt burden with the sharp increase in policy
interest rate by 275 bps since Sep 24.
• Increase in inflation forecast for 2025 from 4.6% to 5.3% (target rate at 3%), and currency depreciation of 28% in a year are worsening the cost associated with
federal debt respectively linked to these variables. To add further to fiscal problems, 20.7% debt is expected to mature by June 2025 and another 14.7% by June
2026.
• With the freezing of expenditure by the government, Brazil has been able to meet its primary deficit target, giving some comfort to investors. The currency
registered an appreciation of 5.7% in 2025 (YTD). 15
Europe
16
Germany: Another Year of Contraction
Germany Faces Two Years of Contraction Business Climate Index Remains Subdued
6.0 100
4.0
95
2.0
0.0 90
85
-2.0
85
-4.0
80
-6.0
-8.0 75
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2013
2017
2011
2015
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Jan-22
Jan-23
May-22
Sep-22
Jan-24
Sep-24
Jan-25
Sep-23
Jul-22
Nov-22
Jul-23
Jul-24
Nov-23
Nov-24
Mar-22
Mar-23
May-23
Mar-24
May-24
Germany (GDP Y-o-Y%)
IFO Business Climate Index (2015=100)
Source: Eurostat, Ifo Institute for Economic Research Source: Ifo Institute for Economic Research
• Germany’s economy contracted for the second consecutive year, marking the first such decline after early 2000s.
• IFO business climate index plunged to 85.1 in January 2025 lower than the 10 year average of 95.5.
• Going forward, an accommodative monetary policy and declining natural gas prices could provide some relief to the economy.
17
UK: Uncertainty Pushes Up Bond Yields
Business & Consumer Sentiments Remain Subdued UK’s 10-Year Government Bond Yield
Remains Elevated
Composite PMI Index GfK Consumer Confidence Index
5.0
56 50
4.8
40
54 4.6
30
4.4
20
52
4.2
50.4 10
4.0
%
50 0
-10 3.8
48 3.6
-20
-22 -30 3.4
46
-40 3.2
44 -50 3.0
Jan-25
Jun-24
Jan-24
Jan-24
Nov-24
May-24
Apr-24
Sep-24
Dec-24
Oct-24
Mar-24
Mar-24
Jul-24
Aug-24
Jan-23
Jan-24
Jan-25
Nov-22
May-23
Nov-23
May-24
Nov-24
Sep-23
Sep-24
Mar-23
Mar-24
Jul-23
Jul-24
• UK Composite PMI has dropped and in the last two months it remained just above the 50-mark threshold.
• While services PMI improved marginally to 51.1 in December (from 50.8 in November), manufacturing PMI dropped to the lowest level in almost a year.
• Hike in social security contributions paid by employers (to come into effect from April) have dented hiring expectations.
• Global economic uncertainty resulted in a surge in the UK bond yields in mid-January 2025. 18
Turkiye: Real Interest Rate Turns Positive
USD/TRY
rates
%
40 20
30
15
20
10
10
0 5
Oct-20
Jan-20
Jan-21
Jan-22
Jan-23
Jan-24
Apr-21
Apr-22
Apr-23
Apr-24
Apr-20
Oct-21
Oct-22
Oct-23
Oct-24
Jul-21
Jul-22
Jul-23
Jul-24
Jul-20
Jan-20
Jan-21
Jan-25
May-21
Jan-22
Jan-23
Jan-24
May-20
Sep-21
Sep-20
May-22
May-23
May-24
Sep-22
Sep-23
Sep-24
CPI Inflation (Y-o-Y) Central Bank Policy Rates
• Turkiye followed an unconventional monetary policy by keeping interest rates low despite high inflation between 2021-H12023 resulting in high Lira
depreciation and an external crisis.
• Post re-election of President Erdogan in May 2023, Turkey returned to conventional monetary policy.
• Inflation in Turkiye has fallen to 44.3% in December 2024 from 64.7% in December 2023, supported by fall in oil and food prices. The central bank has
responded with a cut in policy rate, first since May 2023.
• Lira continues to depreciate amidst global uncertainty, but the rate of depreciation has slowed. 19
Africa
20
Mauritius: Navigating New Data Amidst Political Change
% of GDP
60
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 50
%
-5 40
30
-10
20
-15 10
0
-20 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Old GDP at market prices New GDP at market prices
Old Public Sector Debt New Public Sector Debt
• The new government has revised downwards the GDP growth for 2023 and 2024 to 5.6% and 5.1% respectively (from 7.0% and 6.5%), attributed to
reassessment of the construction sector.
• Ratio of public sector debt (PSD) to GDP revised to 84.4% of GDP for 2023 from a previous 77.6%. This is due to the incorporation of debt incurred by
non-financial public sector entities which was previously being netted out of government securities.
• Revision in fiscal deficit for FY24/25 to 6.7% from 3.4%. On this front, we will look to the 2025 Budget for more details.
21
Nigeria: 3-Decade High Inflation, but Some Reprieve Expected
Nigeria Headline and Food Inflation Old and New CPI weights (%)
45%
39.8%
Division Name* Old New
40%
Dec-12
Dec-15
Dec-20
Dec-21
Dec-07
Dec-08
Dec-03
Dec-04
Dec-10
Dec-06
Dec-09
Dec-17
Dec-11
Dec-18
Dec-13
Dec-14
Dec-16
Dec-19
Dec-22
Dec-23
Dec-24
-5% Education services 3.9 6.2
-10%
Source: Central Bank of Nigeria Source: Nigeria National Bureau of statistics; * selected items
• Nigeria is battling 3-decade high inflation rates, with inflation at 34.8% in December 2024.
• Liberalisation of their currency Naira (in 2016) and reduced oil subsidies, along with global supply bottlenecks have contributed to high inflation.
• Despite the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raising rates (875bps in 2024 alone), inflation has remained sticky.
• Going forward, some reprieve to inflation is expected due to the rebasing and weight adjustments of the CPI basket.
22
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23
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24
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