Europe Economics Update How the ECB could overcome its QE limitations If the ECB is to accelerate and extend its asset purchases next month as we anticipate, it will need to address the programme’s limitations, particularly relating to German debt. We think that the ECB... 18th August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Dutch investment growth set to slow sharply With Dutch housing investment back at pre-crisis levels, there is little scope for further strong growth. And although interest rates are at record lows, surveys suggest that firms have little need to... 17th August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy’s stagnation may soon turn to recession Italy’s economic recovery is slowing. And with big risks to the near-term outlook from the banking sector and the forthcoming referendum on constitutional reform, we suspect that the economy is... 15th August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How will the Norges Bank react to the strength of inflation? Inflation in Norway has been much stronger than the central bank forecast in June, so an interest rate cut in September looks unlikely. But we still expect inflation to fall sharply over the next 12... 10th August 2016 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update How will the Norges Bank react to the strength of inflation? Inflation in Norway has been much stronger than the central bank forecast in June, so an interest rate cut in September looks unlikely. But we still expect inflation to fall sharply over the next 12... 10th August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How is Ireland’s economy holding up after the Brexit vote? The early signs are that while the euro-zone economy has been largely unharmed by the UK’s vote for Brexit, the Irish economy, which has particularly strong trade links with the UK, has taken a hit... 4th August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update No sign of an end to political uncertainty in Spain With no sign of a government, a third Spanish election is possible. Even if one is avoided, Catalonia’s bid for independence means that political uncertainty will continue to darken Spain’s prospects... 3rd August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (July) Public finances improved across the region in Q1, and timelier central government data suggest that the peripheral countries continued to perform well in Q2. Meanwhile, Portugal and Spain avoided... 3rd August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Swedish fundamentals stronger than Q2 GDP data suggest Sweden’s weak Q2 GDP growth rate is at odds with both the monthly economic data and the positive tone of recent surveys. As such, we suspect a decent rebound is on the cards for Q3. 2nd August 2016 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swedish fundamentals stronger than Q2 GDP data suggest Sweden’s weak Q2 GDP growth rate is at odds with both the monthly economic data and the positive tone of recent surveys. As such, we suspect a decent rebound is on the cards for Q3. 2nd August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update France’s Q2 stagnation likely to be more than a one-off While France’s stagnation in the second quarter was partly down to temporary factors, we doubt that there will be a strong rebound in Q3. Indeed, we think that the underlying pace of growth has now... 1st August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy and Ireland the losers from bank stress test The latest EU bank stress tests confirm that, on the whole, the region’s banks are in a much healthier position than a few years ago. However, there are still significant problems in some countries’... 1st August 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Don’t over-interpret Greece’s glimmers of hope Recent news about Greece, including a planned return to bond issuance in 2017, may suggest that it is finally heading out of the woods. But we have been here before and with the debt burden still huge... 28th July 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (June) June’s data suggest that euro-zone money and credit growth are still too weak to provide much support to the economy. While the full effects of ECB stimulus introduced in June are yet to be felt, we... 27th July 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Belgium among most exposed to Brexit fallout A weaker outlook for the external sector on the back of the UK’s Brexit vote will hit Belgium’s open economy harder than most. And with consumers looking poorly placed to take up the slack, the... 26th July 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB set to act in September After leaving policy on hold today, the ECB also stopped short of promising imminent policy easing. But President Draghi reiterated that the Bank is ready to act and we believe that it will up the... 21st July 2016 · 1 min read