Europe Economics Update ECB should be ready to act in September The market reaction to today’s ECB press conference suggests that President Draghi was not as dovish as some investors had hoped for. But the big picture is that it seems clear that policy loosening... 25th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Jul.) 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 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response ECB Bank Lending Survey (Q2 2019) 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 should... 23rd July 2019 · 2 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Brussels no longer flavour of the season Since last July, the development pipeline in Brussels has grown and prospects for economic growth and thus, occupier demand have nudged lower. While the low availability of Grade A stock will support... 22nd July 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Domestic weakness to weigh on the Swedish krona It is becoming harder for the Riksbank to brush aside mounting signs of weakness in domestic demand. We expect it to turn more dovish, and the krona to weaken, over the second half of the year. 22nd July 2019 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Swiss exporters exposed to the rising franc Swiss exporters are feeling the pinch from the stronger franc and we think that things will get worse before they get better. Meanwhile, having weakened in Q2, the Finnish economy is likely to remain... 19th July 2019 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Will the ECB spring a surprise next week? Next week, we think that the ECB will say that interest rates will remain “at present or lower” levels at least through the middle of next year, and that it “stands ready” to re-start QE. Hints at a... 19th July 2019 · 7 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Thinner yield spreads not yet a risk to Italian markets With bond yields falling, euro-zone property yield spreads have widened and remain high by historical standards. Admittedly, not all markets enjoy low bond yields, but even in Italy, where spreads... 18th July 2019 · 3 mins read
ECB Watch ECB to take the first step towards renewed stimulus Policymakers have been dropping hints for weeks that they plan to loosen monetary policy soon, and at July’s meeting they are likely to take a step in that direction by formally changing their forward... 18th July 2019 · 8 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economic Outlook Policymakers to push the boundaries of policy easing We think that a combination of policy loosening by major central banks, an increase in investor risk aversion, and mounting trade tensions will lead to bond yields in Switzerland and the Nordics... 17th July 2019 · 22 mins read
Europe Economics Update Is the euro-zone economy turning a corner? The improvement in some of the recent economic data suggests that the risk of an imminent recession is low. But it does not suggest that the economy is about to rebound. We expect growth to remain... 17th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Economic Outlook ECB to try QE again Economic growth is likely to remain anaemic this year and to slow further in 2020 even if downside risks, such as a US auto tariff or no-deal Brexit, do not materialise. The downturn in the German... 16th July 2019 · 34 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Divergent trends in Swedish and Norwegian growth The Norwegian economy appears to have gathered pace in Q2, but the latest data from Sweden paint an increasingly gloomy picture for domestic demand. So while the Norges Bank will continue to buck the... 12th July 2019 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly French growth spurt unlikely to last Data published this week suggest that France is bucking the gloomy trend; we think GDP expanded by around 0.4% q/q in Q2 whereas growth in the other three large economies slowed. But France’s growth... 12th July 2019 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB account confirms dovish intentions A lot has happened since the Governing Council’s policy meeting on 6th June, so the account published today has arguably been superseded by events. But it does confirm that even five weeks ago the... 11th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Data Response Ireland’s GDP (Q1 2019) Economic growth in Ireland appears to have slowed to little more than a crawl, which is likely to in part reflect concerns about the rising risk of a no-deal Brexit. We estimate that, if the UK left... 11th July 2019 · 2 mins read
