MacroScope

A clutch of top UK economic forecasters on Thursday swept under the rug predictions for another 50 billion pounds of gilt purchases they thought would take place starting just in a few weeks.

News that the UK economy bolted ahead at a 1.0 percent quarterly pace in the three months to September – nearly double the consensus prediction in the Reuters Poll and easily more than twice the last measured growth rate in the United States – was probably a good enough reason on the surface.

But most agree the main reason was an extra work day compared with the prior quarter – when the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations left vast swathes of the country idle – along with a spending boost from accounting for tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

No forecaster is expecting that momentum to carry through to the end of the year. Even the most optimistic of the bunch are expecting very modest growth, even if there have been clear signs the UK labour market is doing better.

Barclays, which just last week quietly dropped its prediction that the Bank of England would cut Bank Rate further from a record low of 0.50 percent – despite having left it there for several years and making pretty clear it would be more of a hassle to cut it than to leave it alone – said on Thursday that more government bond purchases would no longer take place either.

Citigroup, the third largest U.S. bank, is actively soliciting donations from its employees for its political action committee (PAC) or fundraising group. In a letter to staff obtained by Reuters, the bank stressed the importance of the upcoming presidential and Congressional elections, urging staff to give to Citi’s PAC. From the letter:

Our Government Affairs team already does a great job promoting our positions on important issues to lawmakers, but there is one thing that each of us can do to enhance their efforts: contribute to Citi’s Political Action Committee (PAC).

Citi PAC is one of the most effective tools we have to amplify the voice of the company in Washington and enhance our profile with lawmakers.  The PAC provides the resources to help suport government officials who share our views on key policy objectives and who understand the impact various policy decisions may have on overall economic investment and growth.

European Central Bank Governing Council member and Cyprus Central Bank Governor Athanasios Orphanides addresses parliament in Nicosia, November 27, 2009. REUTERS/Andreas Manolis

It is three years to the day since the European Central Bank first threw unlimited amounts of cheap cash at banks in a bid to ease liquidity logjams, and at least one  of its 22 policymakers sees no reason to rush for the exit yet.

 ”We remain sensitive to the liquidity needs in the banking sector and, as we have been doing since the beginning of the crisis, we will continue to provide liquidity as necessary,” Cyprus central bank governor Athanasios Orphanides said in an interview with Reuters.

European banks must pay back almost half a trillion euros to the European Central Bank on July 1 as the ECB’s first-ever one-year loans fall due, potentially putting pressure on banks’ ability to refinance and on money market interest rates.

But the ECB is confident it has put the necessary crash protection in place, with offers of unlimited three-month and six-day funds on the menu next week to make sure banks are not starved for funds.

 ”We have taken all precautions,” Austrian central bank governor Ewald Nowotny assured journalists on Friday. “We are confident that this will all occur without tensions.”

Josef Ackermann, Chairman of the Institute of International Finance and the head of Deutsche Bank, says he’s confident leaders from around the world will take needed steps to bringing normality to the world’s struggling financial system.

“I am pretty sure that the governments will guarantee parts of the whole sale funding and that should actually tell people that there is no risk and you don’t lose money while investing in other banks and I think that is important,” the head of Germany’s largest bank said Sunday.

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