Economic activity in Norway has flattened, and unemployment has risen slightly but is still at a very low level. Higher price and wage growth and a weaker NOK have led to a steeper interest rate increase. Households and the housing market have started to feel the pinch of the rate hikes.
The Danish economy has been on a remarkable growth journey, which has boosted employment to the highest level ever. The current account surplus has risen sharply, and public finances have been positive for six years running. However, signs of an impending slowdown are starting to show.
Nordea Chief Economist: It's too early to declare victory over inflation
So far, the global economy has been very resilient to the significant monetary policy tightening. Inflation is still high, however, and there is a good chance monetary policy will need to be tightened further.
A cold wind is still blowing through the Swedish economy. Tight monetary policy will likely gradually impact the domestic economy and Sweden’s important trading partners. Some relief is expected once inflation falls and policy rates are lowered.
Finland’s investments in the green transition continue, with more money pouring into low-emission industrial production and electric transportation, in addition to wind power.
Central banks are still concerned about inflation, which is slowing down, but is still above the target level. Consequently, it will take time before monetary policy will be eased, and the global outlook continues to be weak.
The labour market in Sweden has been more resilient than expected, but several signs now indicate that the situation will worsen. There is reason to believe that the deterioration of the labour market will be relatively mild, but a weaker labour market will heighten uncertainties.
Economic growth was healthy in the first half of the year, but the outlook going forward is clearly weaker. Higher interest rates will continue to put pressure on consumers, and residential construction. Demand for exports has also deteriorated as global economic growth has slowed down.
As part of the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle taxation has been significantly changed. This has led to a sharp rise in the fleet of electric cars, while the number of diesel cars has declined. Despite this increase, there is still a long way to go to fulfil the ambition of one million zero- and low-emission cars on Danish roads in 2030.
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The NOK has plunged over the past year. The usual NOK drivers, such as oil prices and stock market performance, explain little. The main factor is likely a clearly narrower interest rate differential between Norway and our biggest trading partners. Norges Bank’s NOK sales on behalf of the government has added to the weakening since the autumn.
The Norwegian economy has shown greater resilience to higher rates and inflation than expected. Household consumption and housing prices have held up and unemployment has remained record low. Real wage growth and higher activity in the oil sector help underpin a high activity level also going forward.