It is a brave, or foolhardy, man or woman who would try to predict what will happen to the economy in 2017 especially in light of the various shocks that we experienced in the US and UK in 2016. But the trends as evidence of a building financial pressure are irrefutable.
An incoming, and potentially “protectionist” US president, who seems to favour diplomacy and policy announcement via Twitter, and the wholly avoidable but now irrevocable decision by the UK to leave the EU with the prospect of lengthy negotiations before the process is complete make for a cloudy and uncertain picture which adds more pressure and most likely brings forward the inevitable storm.
The trends and pressures that give clues have been covered for some time by Alasdair Macleod, Head of Research for Goldmoney, and are summarised in his nuanced and thoughtful Outlook for 2017 that actually looks further than the year ahead for the USA. And as the cliché goes “when the US sneezes, UK catches a cold” or worse “when US catches a cold, UK gets pneumonia”.
Investor over-confidence in expectation of a business-friendly pro-tax reducing regime, a shift from monetary to fiscal policy leading to a rise in budget deficits and rising inflation are among the signs he identifies.
At the same time, although all this is reminiscent of the 1970s when interest rates soared to as much as 13%, this time it is in a climate of massive debt leading to constraints on the Federal Reserve’s ability to increase interest rates for fear of precipitating a collapse in the economy.
“Next time, when a financial crisis occurs, the problems will be more widespread, encompassing bond markets, property, equities and governments themselves. It will be ebola compared with a flesh wound. There will be no option other than to rapidly expand the quantity of money on a global basis, with central banks buying up government debt, ultimately fuelling price inflation even further,” Macleod predicts, suggesting that tangible assets will be the only protection against devaluation of fiat currencies, although perhaps not as soon as 2017.
What is the position of the UK economy by comparison?
Given that for at least the last 20 years the management of the UK economy has been based on similar “neoliberal” principles to those in the US, in our view, the UK faces a similar cocktail of risks and there have already been some signs to reinforce this, though not yet at the level to indicate an established trend. Inflation and interest rates will eventually bite on the printing of ever more paper currency or more Quantitive Easing which both amount to the same devaluation of £Sterling incidentally to 1.55% of its value in 1969.
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement included investment in digital and physical infrastructure – a shift to fiscal measures – and the Bank of England has continued to keep interest rates at their current low level.
On Wednesday, the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) revealed that in the 11 months from January to November 2016 the rate of saving had increased by 4.8%, climbing from £19.8 billion in 2015 to £32.4 billion in 2016 so far, suggesting that people are already anticipating predicted inflation and stagnating wages.
This week the FTSE 100 reached a new record high at 7,111.69, suggesting a level of investor confidence in equities, or is it more a lack of good quality stock available for safety?
We had already learned that inflation is expected to rise in 2017 and have also had a prediction from Nationwide that house prices are expected to stabilise rather than continue to climb ever upwards.
So, the likelihood is that the UK too is facing a “perfect storm” similar to Macleod’s analysis of the USA, with the same constraints on Government’s ability to act and a consequent devaluation of its fiat currency, bonds, equities and for home owners a decline in the value of their property by 20%.
The storm may not erupt in 2017 but the pressure is mounting so we advise businesses to be prepared and despite all this, we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.