Restrictive monetary policy and tight financial conditions lead the output gap to turn into negative in 3Q24. Fiscal consolidation is projected for 2025, which could provide room for a gradual monetary easing. Overall, the policy mix will become more restrictive, potentially curbing GDP growth to below 3% in 2025.
Key points
On the global economy, we maintain our view of a soft landing and forecast a gradual rate-cutting cycle. We expect 3% and 2.5% terminal rates from FED and ECB, respectively, to be reached before the end of 2025.
In Türkiye, we forecast a smooth transition with 3.2% GDP growth rate in 2024 (vs. 3.5%) and 2.7% in 2025 (vs. 3.5%). We also upgrade our long-run GDP growth forecasts to 4% (vs. 3.5%), assuming the recent reversal towards orthodoxy will contain the pre-assumed further deterioration.
Given looser external financial conditions and weaker domestic economic activity, we maintain our call of a moderate first-rate cut on Dec 24 but define risks as staying high for longer.
Medium Term Program (MTP) shows efforts to keep the budget deficit to GDP below 5% by the end of 2024 and closer to 3% by the end of 2025.
We slightly reduce our 2024 end USDTRY expectation to 37 (vs. 38) on weaker activity and the CBRT’s delayed cut and maintain a 45.5 USDTRY forecast for the end of 2025. We forecast inflation to finish the year annually at 43% in 2024 and 25% in 2025.