Europe Data Response Spain GDP (Q2) The record plunge in Spain’s GDP of 18.5% q/q is likely to have been one of the biggest falls of any euro-zone country in Q2, illustrating the severity of the country’s lockdown and its slow and... 31st July 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response French GDP (Q2) While the catastrophic collapse in French Q2 GDP was hardly a shock given the country’s stringent lockdown, it still highlights the sheer extent of the economic damage wrought by the pandemic. High... 31st July 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response EC Survey (July) & Euro-zone Unemployment (June) The further increase in the EC’s Economic Sentiment Indicator for July echoes the message from other surveys that the recovery continued at the start of Q3. But it tells us little about how far... 30th July 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Rise in cases a further blow to Spain’s weak recovery Spain’s economic recovery was already set to be one of the weakest in the euro-zone but the resurgence in virus cases over the past week and subsequent re-imposition of restrictions deals a fresh blow... 29th July 2020 · 4 mins read
Europe Economic Outlook Slow and uneven recovery The economy has partially recovered from the impact of the coronavirus containment measures imposed earlier in the year, but it will be a long time before it gets back to normal. Even if there are no... 21st July 2020 · 36 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly More fiscal and monetary stimulus to come We doubt that EU leaders reach a final deal on the proposed Recovery Fund at the conference which its taking place today and tomorrow in Brussels, though a deal is likely eventually. In any case, most... 17th July 2020 · 6 mins read
Europe Economics Focus Euro-zone unemployment will only peak in mid-2021 Euro-zone unemployment now seems likely to peak at a lower rate and about a year later than we had previously forecast, mainly due to the widespread use of short-time working schemes. But the partial... 9th July 2020 · 21 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Surge in bank lending unlikely to last Euro-zone bank lending growth has jumped in recent months, as firms borrowed to tide themselves over while their revenues collapsed during lockdown. (See Chart 1.) At the same time, banks’ willingness... 7th July 2020 · 12 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (May) The trivial rise in unemployment in the euro-zone reflects the success of short-time working schemes in protecting jobs but also an increase in “inactivity” as people have been unable to look for work... 2nd July 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Official data signal May rebound, June surveys upbeat This week the first official data for May confirmed the message from the high frequency data and the surveys that economic activity in the euro-zone is recovering fairly strongly. And the latest... 26th June 2020 · 8 mins read
Europe Economics Update Will Germany’s 2009 jobs miracle be repeated? Euro-zone countries seeking to avoid a surge in unemployment have sought to replicate Germany’s short-time working scheme that served it well during the global financial crisis. Germany’s experience... 24th June 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (June) The rise in the euro-zone flash Composite PMI in June confirms that economic output in the region is continuing to recover rapidly from April’s nadir as restrictions are progressively eased. But... 23rd June 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Labour Costs (Q1) The surge in nominal hourly labour costs growth in Q1 primarily reflects a collapse in hours worked as lockdowns restricted economic activity at the end of the quarter. This is likely to be repeated... 16th June 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Activity still depressed, policymakers step up support Data published this week added to evidence that economic activity in the euro-zone is slowly resuming after a catastrophic April, but that it remains well below “normal” levels. Against this backdrop... 5th June 2020 · 6 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Policymakers getting their act together The latest high frequency data show that economic activity has picked up a bit in the past few weeks. Consumers have been returning to the shops and restaurants. But some sectors such as tourism and... 5th June 2020 · 13 mins read
Europe Economics Update Weak external demand to weigh on recoveries Disruption to supply chains and depressed demand mean that euro-zone goods exports will slump this year, hitting open economies such as the Netherlands and Germany the most. But the hit to services... 3rd June 2020 · 4 mins read
