Beefed-up stress tests will be no quick fix

The euro-zone’s upcoming bank stress tests are likely to be more effective than the region’s earlier attempts. But the euro-zone financial system will heal only slowly, remaining a drag on the recovery for a while yet.

Meanwhile, last week brought good news from the Spanish economy, with GDP rising by a quarterly 0.4% in Q1. But the economy’s painful adjustment process is far from over and we still envisage growth of a below consensus 1% in 2015 with a significant risk of deflation.