Europe Economics Weekly Limits to ECB’s “unlimited” tool will soon be tested The ECB new spread-fighting tool received this week a lukewarm welcome from investors, despite its potential for unlimited asset purchases. That reflects both the ambiguity surrounding the criteria... 22nd July 2022 · 9 mins read
Europe Economic Outlook Recession won’t stop aggressive ECB tightening The euro-zone looks on course to fall into a mild recession in the coming quarters. Real incomes are falling, business sentiment has plummeted and growth in the region’s export markets is slowing... 14th July 2022 · 29 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro nears parity, energy effects erase German surplus The depreciation in the euro to its lowest level in almost two decades against the dollar this week in large part reflects investors’ view that the ECB will tighten less aggressively than the Fed. The... 8th July 2022 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Update German wage settlements likely to keep inflation high Very high inflation and low unemployment are driving German unions to seek big pay rises in this year’s collective negotiations. We think nominal pay growth will be in the region of 4-5% this year and... 7th July 2022 · 4 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Inflation pressures remain intense The latest data suggest that underlying inflationary pressures in the euro-zone remain intense. Although core inflation edged down from 3.8% in May to 3.7% in June, this appeared to be down to... 6th July 2022 · 10 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Final PMIs (June) June’s final Composite PMIs confirmed the message from the flash release that activity is softening and that firms expect weaker conditions ahead. And price pressures remain intense throughout the... 5th July 2022 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (May) The fall in the euro-zone unemployment rate in May to a new record low reaffirms the strength of the region’s labour market despite the apparent softening of activity. That will underpin an... 30th June 2022 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response Germany and Spain Flash Inflation (Jun.) The fall in inflation in Germany and the increase in Spain in June largely reflect temporary factors and will not alter the consensus view at the ECB that interest rates need to be increased quite... 29th June 2022 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Loss of majority curtails Macron’s second term plans French President Emmanuel Macron faces five difficult years after losing his absolute majority in parliament. Proposed reforms, including to pensions and benefits, will be diluted if they happen at... 20th June 2022 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Demand for labour to remain strong in the euro-zone Strong demand for labour, not a lack of potential workers, has driven the euro-zone’s unemployment rate to a record low. Employment gains have been biggest in public services and we expect demand for... 16th June 2022 · 4 mins read
Europe Data Response EZ Hourly Labour Costs (Q1) The acceleration in euro-zone wage growth at the start of the year is consistent with the timelier data already published and the message from pay negotiations. Against a backdrop of high inflation... 16th June 2022 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly High inflation will keep ECB hawks in charge this year Euro-zone inflation is likely to remain higher than the ECB expects over the rest of this year. That will keep the balance of opinion on the Bank’s Governing Council tilted firmly in favour of the... 10th June 2022 · 7 mins read
Europe Economics Update No majority would hinder, not upend, Macron’s plans The latest polls for this month’s legislative elections in France raise the possibility that Macron’s party and allies may not win a majority. But even so, support from the centre-right might avoid a... 9th June 2022 · 3 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Tailwinds fading, headwinds building With some important exceptions, including the German manufacturing sector, economic activity seems to have held up a little better than we had feared so far in Q2. We don’t think this will last. The... 7th June 2022 · 10 mins read
Europe Economics Update Rising interest costs add to pressure on EZ households We estimate that euro-zone households’ debt interest payments will quadruple as a share of income over the next couple of years as the ECB raises its policy rate. This will put yet further strain on... 24th May 2022 · 4 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (May) The small fall in the euro-zone Composite PMI in May suggests that activity is holding up better than we had feared. But the services rebound is likely to run out of steam amid high inflation and the... 24th May 2022 · 2 mins read
