Filtered by Region: Europe Use setting Europe
Base effects mask underlying weakness The jump in annual Swiss industrial production growth in Q3 was skewed by base effects and masks weakness in those sectors most exposed to Germany. As Germany’s industrial recession looks set to drag on, we expect …
21st November 2019
Germany avoids a technical recession, for now While the second estimate of Q3 GDP for the euro-zone was unchanged, and Germany narrowly avoided a technical recession, we think that the cyclical downturn in the region still has further to run. Our forecast …
14th November 2019
Riksbank to tighten policy despite low inflation Despite October’s increase in CPIF inflation, underlying inflation in Sweden remains below target and serves as proof that the economy is not ready for the Riksbank’s planned rate hike in December. While …
13th November 2019
Norwegian economy to stay in a class of its own This morning’s release of Q3 GDP data from Norway confirms that the economy is faring much better than its Nordic peers. The economy looks set to lose some pace in the coming months but we do not think it …
12th November 2019
Manufacturing recession to continue The decline in industrial production in September confirms that German manufacturers are still firmly in a recession. We expect this to continue well into next year, causing the economy as a whole to contract. The 0.6% …
7th November 2019
Heading towards a weak end to the year September’s euro-zone retail sales data suggest household consumption made a positive contribution to GDP growth in Q3. Meanwhile, the upward revision to October’s euro-zone Composite PMI still leaves it pointing to …
6th November 2019
Return of deflation to ring alarm bells at the SNB The confirmation this morning that Swiss inflation fell back into negative territory in October for the first time since November 2016 will reignite deflationary fears at the SNB and strengthen its …
1st November 2019
Italian stagnation to continue Italy’s economy eked out only a small expansion in Q3, and it looks set to continue performing very poorly over the coming years. We think that it will fail to grow at all in 2020. The 0.1% q/q increase in Italy’s GDP in Q3 …
31st October 2019
Economy to continue slowing The slightly better-than-expected euro-zone Q3 GDP figure does not alter the fact that the region is expanding at only a very modest pace. What’s more, forward-looking indicators, along with the deteriorating global backdrop, …
Rebound in sentiment still consistent with weak GDP growth October’s rise in the Swiss KOF Economic Barometer was not enough to offset the previous month’s drop and the series still suggests that activity will remain subdued into 2020. Given the …
30th October 2019
Underlying inflation to stay subdued in Sweden The persistent weakness of underlying inflation in Sweden serves as further proof, if needed, that the Riksbank will have to shift to a more dovish stance over the next six months or so. As a result, the …
10th October 2019
Increase in August not a turning point The 0.3% increase in German industrial production comes as a relief, and a bit of a surprise, compared to the consensus forecast of 0.0% and our own expectation of a 1.0% fall, and given the poor factory orders data …
8th October 2019
Labour market cooling Euro-zone employment growth looks set to slow over the rest of this year, and remain subdued in 2020. So we expect wage growth to weaken too, eventually prompting the ECB to loosen policy again. The decline in the euro-zone’s …
30th September 2019
Ifo still consistent with German recession The small increase in the headline Ifo Business Climate Index for September leaves it at a very low level and does not alter the fact that Germany seems to have entered recession in Q3. Moreover, the expectations …
24th September 2019
PMIs suggest that growth has slowed in Q3 September’s fall in the euro-zone Composite PMI supports our view that economic growth in the currency union has slowed in Q3. And with no sign that core inflation is rising, and the ECB’s latest action unlikely …
23rd September 2019
Labour cost growth still likely to slow in coming quarters The increase in nominal hourly labour cost growth to 2.7% in Q2 masks significant differences between countries and is partly due to a reduction in hours worked, rather than higher wages. We …
13th September 2019
PMIs suggest Italy’s troubles rumbling on The small upward revision to August’s euro-zone PMI leaves it still pointing to slow GDP growth at the start of H2. And the fall in retail sales in July suggests that consumption started Q3 on weak footing. The …
4th September 2019
August PMIs are no game changers The manufacturing PMIs from August indicate that the Swiss industrial sector is still feeling the pinch from the deep downturn in its German counterpart and the stronger franc, and add to the evidence that the Swedish …
2nd September 2019
Unchanged inflation supports case for more ECB loosening With headline and core inflation unchanged in August, at 1.0% and 0.9% respectively, and unemployment also unchanged at 7.5% in July, the scene is set for the ECB to loosen policy further. After …
30th August 2019
GDP growth in Finland and Denmark set to slow in H2 Although today’s release of GDP data for Finland and Denmark shows that both economies grew solidly in Q2, we suspect that quarterly growth will slow in both in the coming quarters. Meanwhile, the Swiss …
Q2 GDP growth may be as good as it gets for Norway This morning’s release of Q2 GDP data from Norway confirms that the economy remains a bright spot in the Nordics. But given that oil prices are now in line with our end-year forecast of $60pb, we think …
29th August 2019
Uptick in Composite PMI won’t stop ECB easing next month The trivial increase in the euro-zone Composite PMI in August still leaves it consistent with feeble GDP growth this quarter and won’t put the ECB off easing policy next month. The rise in the …
22nd August 2019
Retail sales growth likely to slow further The jump in retail sales in June follows a fairly sharp contraction in May and feeble growth in April, and means that retail sales growth slowed in Q2 overall. With the boost from falling inflation now behind us …
2nd August 2019
Fall in Swiss inflation adds to pressure on the SNB The unexpected fall in Swiss inflation in July, and signs of a deepening downturn in the industrial sector, will only strengthen the resolve of the SNB to resist the rising franc. There is a growing …
Losing pace into Q3 The sharp fall in Norway’s manufacturing PMI in July adds to signs that the economy is losing momentum and lends support to our view that the Norges Bank will hike rates by less than investors expect this year. Meanwhile, the weak PMI …
1st August 2019
Another weak survey supports the case for an ECB rate cut in September July’s decline in the euro-zone Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) is consistent with our view that, after probably slowing to 0.2% q/q in Q2, GDP growth in the currency union will …
30th July 2019
Fall in Ifo adds to evidence of prolonged economic weakness July’s decline in the Ifo Business Climate Index is consistent with the message from the PMI that the German economy made a very slow start to Q3. We still suspect that the ECB will wait until …
25th July 2019
Survey won’t change the ECB’s mind about loosening policy The latest ECB Bank Lending Survey adds to the evidence that the euro-zone economy will remain sluggish. The euro-zone does not seem to be on the brink of recession, but continued slow growth …
23rd July 2019
Irish economy slowing as no-deal Brexit risk increases After strong growth in Q1, economic growth in Ireland appears to have slowed a touch, which is likely to in part reflect concerns about Brexit. While Ireland looks set to continue growing more quickly …
11th July 2019
Core inflation likely to fall back into 2020 While core inflation in Sweden edged up once again in June, we expect weak domestic demand to weigh on underlying price pressures over the second half of the year and into 2020. Having risen to a seven-month …
Above-target core inflation supports Norges Bank’s hawkish bias The larger-than-expected fall in the headline Norwegian inflation rate in June is unlikely to change the Norges Bank’s hawkish bias. With core price pressures still running above target, it …
10th July 2019
Slump in German manufacturing continues The small increase in output in May does not signal the end of the Germany’s manufacturing downturn. On the contrary, it now looks almost certain that production declined in Q2 overall, contributing to a sharp …
8th July 2019
June surveys round off a disappointing Q2 While the Composite PMIs for June were flat for Spain and edged up for Italy, the overall picture remains one of weak economic growth in the second quarter. And with price pressures remaining weak, there is every …
3rd July 2019
