UK Data Response Halifax House Prices (Mar.) The rise in the Halifax house price index in March suggests that February’s drop was not the start of a new downward trend. However, with market conditions now loosening, mortgage lending criteria... 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Halifax House Prices (Mar.) Surveys of house price expectations, although weakening, are yet to signal the renewed falls that we are forecasting for the second half of this year. However, their record in anticipating price... 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
Japan Data Response EWS (Mar.) & Machinery Orders (Feb.) The sharp improvement in the main balances of Japan’s Economy Watchers Survey (EWS) in March is further evidence of an increasingly broad-based recovery. This trumps the bad news of a fall in... 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Will the sterling boost ever arrive? (Q2 2010) Hopes for a strong recovery in the UK economy rest on a decent boost to the external sector from the drop in the pound. But it is looking less and less likely that the exporting sector will manage to... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
China Chart Pack Renminbi set to rise again against dollar, but slowly (Apr 10) The US Treasury’s decision to delay release of the semi-annual currency report in which it names “currency manipulators” among major trading partners has had a negligible impact on market expectations... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Fiscal worries darken the outlook The news on the euro-zone continues to be dominated by the fiscal crisis in Greece, which has prompted Greek government bond yields and the cost of insuring against default using credit default swaps... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Upbeat economic news may not do the job for Mr Brown The news on the UK economy in the approach to the general election now looks likely to be reasonably upbeat. But the key question is whether voters will translate that better news into greater... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Upbeat economic news may not do the job for Mr Brown The news on the UK economy in the approach to the general election now looks likely to be reasonably upbeat. But the key question is whether voters will translate that better news into greater... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Final GDP (Q4), Final PMIs (Mar.) & PPI (Feb.) The downward revision to Q4’s euro-zone GDP figures is a reminder of the economy’s fragility. Thankfully, March’s final PMI survey brought further evidence that the recovery resumed in Q1. But the... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Bank of Japan rightly more positive on economy The Bank of Japan tweaked its qualitative assessment of the economy today, changing a few words here and there to suggest a more positive outlook. However, we will have to wait until the latest... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response UK CIPS/Markit Report on Services (Mar.) The latest batch of data on the services sector painted a mixed picture of the strength of the recovery in the biggest part of the economy. But at least the economy appears to have avoided relapsing... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
DM Markets Chart Pack Euro remains on the defensive (Mar 10) The euro continued to suffer against the dollar in March. We were already expecting the euro to fall to $1.25 by the end of the year, but we recently revised our forecast to $1.20. We also now think... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will the rise in Turkish consumer spending boost retail rents? The fact that Turkish household consumption growth turned positive in Q4 is encouraging news for retailer occupier demand. But it needs to be set against the substantial increase in supply expected... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Focus Will the retail sector again outperform following recession? Over the next three years, retail property is set to deliver average real capital gains of around 1% per year (roughly 3% nominal), lower than the figures of around 3% (5% nominal) in the industrial... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Can Germany save the euro-zone? Increased domestic spending in Germany would not only assist the euro-zone’s troubled periphery but would also be in Germany’s own interests, helping to reduce unemployment. However, while there are... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
