At risk of stalling, but Q3 may make up for Q2’s weakness

This week brought further signs that the “pingdemic” weighed on economic activity and evidence that in June, consumers amassed excess savings at a faster rate than in May. As a result, there’s clearly a risk Q2 GDP growth will be weaker than we previously thought. However, with the “pingdemic” likely to ease over the next month, COVID-19 case numbers falling and our CE Mobility Tracker and new electronic card payments ticking up, we are sticking with our forecast that GDP will return to its pre-virus peak in October. Even so, it’s clear that any further big gains in activity may have to wait until August.