Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Sweden’s return to the left won’t banish stagnation fears Sweden’s general election yesterday resulted in defeat for the centre-right coalition Alliance Government after two terms in power but produced no overall majority for the centre-left opposition... 15th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Limited room for growth-friendly fiscal policies While signs of pragmatism have recently emerged in the ongoing fiscal debate in the euro-zone, we think there is currently little room for fiscal policy to play much of a role in tackling low growth... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Global Inflation Watch Euro-zone and Japan yet to escape from deflation threat Six years after the onset of the global financial crisis, there is still a threat of deflation. The biggestworry is in the euro-zone, where inflation expectations have slipped and the ECB’s actions... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update Irish lessons for an independent Scotland There is much that the Scots could learn from their Celtic neighbours. Irish independence is a story ofeventual, not immediate success. It took nearly 80 years for Irish per capita income to catch up... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (Jul.) July’s rebound in euro-zone industrial production provided hope that industry mayfare slightly better in Q3 than it did in Q2. But with survey data pointing to acontinued slowdown, the sector’s... 12th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Have Stockholm industrial rental values reached a cyclical high? Facing some of the highest industrial build costs in Europe, developers are unlikely to find it profitable to speculatively construct industrial space in Sweden in the next few years. Therefore, with... 11th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Is the current low level of Brussels retail yields sustainable? Today’s historically low Belgian retail yields cannot be explained by strong rental growth prospects. Rather, in a market with a high proportion of international retailers, investors’ preference for... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Cyprus foreclosure bill will help banks but hit households The Cypriot parliament passed a controversial bill on 6th September, reducing the time it takes toforeclose non-performing business loans and mortgages. While the bill is likely to help banks ahead... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Danish central bank will need to do more to weaken krone The ECB’s unexpected announcement last week that it would lower interest rates again forced the Danish central bank to reinstate a negative deposit rate to protect the Danish krone’s peg to the euro... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Danish central bank will need to do more to weaken krone The ECB’s unexpected announcement last week that it would lower interest rates again forced the Danish central bank to reinstate a negative deposit rate to protect the Danish krone’s peg to the euro... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update What are inflation expectations telling us? Measures of inflation expectations are unanimous in pointing to a growing risk of deflation in the eurozone.Meanwhile, the rise in inflation expectations in Japan suggests that the BoJ’s actions have... 9th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Looser credit standards may help Italian firms More favourable terms and conditions for loans to Italian firms point to a possible pick-up ininvestment and industrial production in the coming quarters. However, there is little evidence we willsee... 8th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly ECB still tiptoeing around QE While last week’s cuts in interest rates and details of asset purchase programmes were a welcomesurprise, we still believe that the ECB will eventually have to stop tiptoeing around and take theplunge... 5th September 2014 · 1 min read
Commodities Update How vulnerable are European gas supplies to the Ukraine crisis? Today’s announcement that both sides have agreed on a ceasefire should help to ease tensions inUkraine and move the government and rebels towards a sustainable peace deal. Admittedly, we havealready... 5th September 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Chart Pack Gulf between US and euro-zone widens The US and euro-zone economies have diverged further in the past few months, as growth in the single currency area has stalled but the US recovery has stepped up a gear. Moreover, the gap between the... 5th September 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone GDP Breakdown (Q2) & German IP (Jul.) The breakdown of euro-zone Q2 GDP was a bit more encouraging than it might have been, but hardly presented a solid platform for stronger growth ahead. 5th September 2014 · 1 min read