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After two disappointing years, recent data suggest Europe’s commercial real estate market is stabilising. But will recovery follow and how strong will it be? Join our 20-minute online session on Wednesday 25th September at 10:00 BST as we discuss the …
17th September 2024
We recently held a series of EM-focused client meetings in Switzerland and Germany which covered a wide range of topics, including the impact of global fracturing , AI and the green transition on emerging markets. This Update answers several of the …
16th September 2024
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) “Fiscal risks and sustainability report”, published this week, showed that if left unchecked the public debt to GDP ratio would spiral from 98% now to 274% by the mid-2070s. Assuming a recession comes along …
13th September 2024
By making life harder for unscrupulous landlords, the Renters’ Rights Bill may help drive tenant demand toward institutional landlords who are already complying with most aspects of the proposed legislation. That said, an apparent ‘win-win’ ability for …
The ECB’s easing cycle continued this week and the first Fed rate cut is just around the corner, but we still think that central banks in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are now at the beginning of a slower phase of their easing cycles and will loosen …
The main event of this week was the ECB’s meeting on Thursday, where the Bank cut its deposit rate by 25bp, to 3.5%, as widely expected. Christine Lagarde made clear in the press conference that further rate cuts are on the cards, but she gave little away …
CBR delivers surprise hike The decision by the Russian central bank (CBR) to hike its policy rate today by 100bp, to 19.00%, suggests that policymakers are even more concerned about the inflation outlook than we’d previously thought. While our forecast is …
We think the markets are wrong to expect two more interest rate cuts this year But we think rates will be cut more quickly next year and to 3.00% in early 2026 MPC may speed up QT by announcing a £110bn reduction in the balance sheet We agree with the …
A large part of the decline in euro-zone industry over recent years shown by the monthly data appears to be due to mismeasurement. Nevertheless, the sector is struggling with a loss of international competitiveness and the medium-term outlook is poor. …
Today’s decision by the ECB to cut the deposit rate by 25bp was widely anticipated, and even the press conference provided little new information. We stand by our view that too much easing is now discounted in money markets, which is why we think …
12th September 2024
Inflation keeps falling more quickly than Norges Bank’s forecasts but policymakers will be uneasy about the renewed weakening of the krone. We expect them to repeat that the policy rate will be unchanged “for some time ahead”, but we think they will opt …
There was never any doubt that the ECB would cut its deposit rate by 25bp today, to 3.5%. Meanwhile, the policy statement and press conference were largely as expected and do not change our view that the next rate cut is most likely to be in December – …
The structural deterioration in the fiscal situation suggests that a tight grip on the public finances in the Budget on 30 th October will be necessary. That’s why we think the government will maintain existing plans for fiscal policy to be tightened, but …
ECB likely to ease policy only gradually There was never any doubt that the ECB would cut its deposit rate by 25bp today, to 3.5%. Otherwise, the policy statement is largely as expected and does not change our view that the ECB will probably leave rates …
Rising demand points to faster house price growth August’s RICS survey provided further evidence that housing demand is picking up in response to the recent falls in mortgage rates. What’s more, our view that Bank Rate will be lowered by more than …
Inflation stabilises, rates to be left on hold Russia’s headline inflation rate held steady at 9.1% y/y in August which, while slightly stronger than expected, won’t tip the balance towards another interest rate hike at the central bank’s meeting on …
11th September 2024
Milan office take-up has held up well in recent quarters, but this has not translated into stronger prime rental growth. With the outlook for jobs growth pointing to a slowdown in take-up while downsizing and affordability concerns are rising, we think …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. July’s stagnation unlikely to mark the start of a renewed downturn GDP stagnated in July (consensus and CE forecast 0.2%), but that doesn’t mean the UK is on the cusp of another …
Our rental growth forecasts for the industrial and retail sectors are notably above the consensus, particularly over the next couple of years. That primarily reflects our relatively optimistic forecasts for GDP growth, where a recovery in consumer …
10th September 2024
Granular data showed that mortgage lending continued to recover in Q2, supported by a decline in the average mortgage rate on new lending. Our view that mortgage rates will fall further next year suggests demand will continue to pick up and housing …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Encouraging, but not enough for interest rates to be cut again in September The further easing in wage growth will be welcomed by the Bank of England as a sign that labour market …
In principle, an increase in EU integration and cooperation, as proposed by Enrico Letta in April and Mario Draghi today, could increase output in the long run. But any progress will be slow, and the proposals are unlikely to be implemented in full. …
9th September 2024
Economic growth in the euro-zone slowed in Q2 and timelier data suggest that it weakened further in Q3. That, together with the further fall in wage growth and headline inflation, all but guarantees another 25bpcut at the ECB’s September meeting. But with …
6th September 2024
The latest IPF Consensus Survey showed forecasters are finally coming around to our long-held view that retail will preform relatively well over the next five years. Total returns for all the retail subsectors over 2024-28 saw significant upgrades, with …
The lingering concerns over whether the US manufacturing sector and overall economy are heading for recession begs the question of whether the UK’s manufacturing sector and overall economy will go the same way. The fear is that the recent period in which …
Two months after the conclusion of France’s parliamentary elections, we finally know the name of the next prime minister (the fifth since 2020). The good news, at least for France’s creditors is that Michel Barnier, who is a member of the centre-right Les …
Turkish officials expecting a goldilocks rebalancing The medium-term economic programme presented by Turkey’s government this week highlights that policymakers remain committed to orthodox policies to deal with the country’s large macroeconomic …
Governing Council to cut deposit rate by 25bp again next week. Policymakers will point to a gradual easing cycle beyond that. Pace of rate cuts by the Fed will have little impact on ECB. The ECB looks certain to cut its deposit rate from 3.75% to 3.5% …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. No respite for German industry The big drop in German industrial production in July adds to the sense that the sector is facing a deep crisis and that, having contracted in Q2, …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Modest housing market recovery continues The second consecutive monthly rise in the Halifax house price index in August supports our view that the fall in the Nationwide house …
The most recent European industrial take-up figures were slightly more encouraging. We expect activity will continue to slowly improve over the next couple of years, supported by the consumer recovery and increasing online penetration, though no return to …
5th September 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Retail sales likely to rise gradually Retail sales edged up by 0.1% in July, and we expect them to rise further in the coming months, though at only a fairly modest pace. The …
Construction activity continues to expand The headline CIPS construction PMI edged back in August, but at 53.6 it remained in expansionary territory for the sixth consecutive month. Moreover, the decline was driven by the volatile civil engineering …
The latest drop in oil prices, coupled with our expectation for global demand to remain weak, will make it practically impossible for OPEC+ to increase output while keeping Brent crude prices above $80pb. Recent reports indicate the group is undecided on …
4th September 2024
NBP likely to remain on pause as inflation rebounds The decision by the National Bank of Poland (NBP) to leave its policy rate on hold today, at 5.75%, was widely expected by analysts, and the incoming data are supporting our view that there won’t be …
Recent estimates add to the evidence that online retail shares are growing more slowly across Europe. There has also been little sign of convergence in online shares, supporting our long-held view that online competition will be less of a drag on southern …
3rd September 2024
This page has been updated with additional analysis. Headline inflation falls, risks skewed to the downside Switzerland’s headline inflation rate fell in August to one of its lowest levels in the last three years. This will be welcome news for the SNB, …
Disinflation process has some way to go The fall in Turkish inflation, to 52.0% y/y, in August is likely to be followed by continued disinflation over the coming months. But there are signs in the breakdown that underlying inflation pressures remain …
Traffic-light coalition to stay on but state elections point to challenges ahead The big rise in populist parties in elections in two East German states at the weekend doesn’t threaten the survival of the governing coalition but it points to some …
2nd September 2024
PMIs increase, but still consistent with weak industrial activity The manufacturing PMIs increased across most of the region in August, although they generally remain at weak levels and suggest that industry has continued to struggle in Q3. In Poland and …
Rebalancing still a bumpy process The Turkish GDP figures for Q2, which showed a better-than-expected 0.1% q/q expansion in output, suggest that the rebalancing process still has some way to go. The data argue in favour of the central bank keeping …
US and euro-zone inflation data released today did little to change our view that both the Fed and the ECB will cut interest rates by 25bp in September, as investors seem to expect. But we think both central banks will ultimately cut rates by a bit less …
30th August 2024
The Prime Minister’s statement this week that “there is a budget coming in October, and it’s going to be painful…those with the broader shoulders should bear the heavier burden” has prompted yet more speculation about how much tax revenues will rise and …
Belgium's political crisis and high budget deficit have largely gone unnoticed in past couple of months while all eyes have been on France. This Update answers some key questions about its political situation and prospects for fiscal policy heading into …
With no significant hard activity data out yet, it is too early to be confident about how the economy will perform in Q3, but the initial signs are not promising. To recap the survey data so far, the euro-zone Composite PMI fell from an average of 51.6 in …
Further signs of fiscal complacency in Poland The Polish government’s draft budget for 2025 announced this week suggests that fiscal policy will be more expansionary than we had previously expected next year. While that poses an upside risk to our …
This page has been updated with additional analysis since first publication. Services inflation remains sticky We doubt that August’s unexpected increase in services inflation will stop the ECB from cutting interest rates at its next meeting in September …
Net lending continues to recover gradually Net lending to commercial property was positive for the fourth consecutive month in July, albeit by a smaller £520mn. With development lending still negative, this was driven entirely by a rise in lending …