Key View

• The EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement eliminates some near-term risks for European automakers, securing tariff and quota-free access for all goods traded between the two parties.
• As commonly expected, the erection of technical barriers to trade has increased administrative burdens and created short-term logistics risks which may

Key View

• Long covid is a chronic, debilitating condition that may blunt economic recovery in markets badly affected by Covid-19.
• Conditions similar to long covid are under researched, and there are no known cures.
• The magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic may change attitudes to post viral syndromes, and increase funding for research.

Whi

Key View

• The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement grants tariff- and quota-free access for most consumer goods traded between the EU and UK, which is a positive for both retailers and consumers as red tape and price increases following Brexit will be limited.
• While the trade agreement between the UK and the EU avoids any direct tariffs or

Key View

• The implementation of new lockdowns in England and Scotland in January 2021 will continue to constrain the recovery of the UK's retail sector into the first quarter of 2021.
• Tougher Covid-19-related restrictions in the final two months of 2020 (December is traditionally the most important month for retailers) was already placing

Key View:

• We at Fitch Solutions believe that a UK-EU trade agreement can be reached in the coming days, but the range of outstanding issues and the apparent high political pressure against any concessions on both sides have increased the chances of a no-deal scenario.
• In case of either a deal or no-deal scenario, UK-EU trade will face

Key View

• UK mass grocery retailer, Morrisons launched a new 'Market Kitchen' concept, which allows consumers to order freshly made meals to-go, which are also available on food delivery apps.
• At Fitch Solutions, we believe that MGR players will re-think their strategies to maintain the market share gained from food services during the

Key View

• Recession and ultra-loose monetary policy will continue to weigh on the profitability of the UK banking sector over the remainder on 2020.
• At Fitch Solutions, we expect client loans growth to ease to 1.5% this year, from 2.6% in 2019. Loan growth should accelerate in 2021 to 2.5%, in line with an expected pick-up in economic activity