Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Sanctions on Russia a further blow to Finnish economy Finland’s close economic ties with neighbouring Russia mean that the EU’s stiffer sanctions on Russia announced yesterday are likely to deal another blow to the Finnish economy. Even if the direct... 30th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Sanctions on Russia pose limited threat to Germany The likelihood that the EU will impose stiffer sanctions on Russia has raised concerns about the effecton German exports and the wider economy. But while certain companies rely strongly on trade... 28th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What next for Dutch office rents? We envisage only a modest improvement in office occupier demand in the Netherlands over the next year or two as economic growth and job creation disappoint. Yet office rents are likely to drift higher... 28th July 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Low inflation a threat to fiscal policy in the euro-zone and Japan Continued very low inflation is likely to have anegative impact on debt ratios in both Japan andthe euro-zone during the coming years. Insouthern euro-zone countries real interest rateswill probably... 28th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro-zone consumers still not ready to spend freely Despite a slight fall in July, euro-zone consumer confidence remains at a high level. But this hasyet to be reflected in a significant rise in spending growth. This might be because consumers’optimism... 28th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Could the euro-zone mimic the UK’s recovery? On the face of it, the UK’s impressive economic recovery offers significant hope to the euro-zone. Butwe think that still high levels of debt and a relatively timid monetary policy response will... 25th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jun.) Although June’s euro-zone monetary data showed some further signs of improvement, lending is still falling and the data point to a significant risk of deflation in the region. 25th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Jul.) & Consumer Confidence (Aug.) July’s drop in the German Ifo Business Climate Indicator (BCI) is another worryingsign that the recovery may have passed its peak. 25th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How competitive is Greece now? The sharp fall in wages and recent flurry of structural reforms in Greece has not yet fed intocompetitiveness gains. Greece is still not able to run the sustained external surpluses that it needs. 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Franco-German divergence spells trouble ahead Although purchasing managers surveys for July, released earlier today, suggest that the economicrecovery in the euro-zone as a whole is regaining momentum, they also still show a large gap betweenthe... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update New Belgian coalition is likely to disappoint News that the three major Flemish parties have formed a regional government raises hopes that Belgium’s federal political deadlock will be resolved soon. But the proposed national coalition looks set... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Commodities Update PMIs to provide only limited support to commodity prices Despite the rise in the PMIs in both China and the euro-zone in July, the near-termoutlooks for industrial commodity and oil prices remain weak. Indeed, there arelingering concerns that the euro-zone... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Jul.) The jump in the flash composite PMI in July suggested that euro-zone activity picked up at the start of Q3 but it is unlikely to alleviate concerns that the recovery in the euro-zone is already... 24th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Spanish GDP (Q2 est.) The Banco De Espana’s estimate that Spanish GDP rose by 0.5% in Q2 suggests thatSpain may have been one of the strongest euro-zone economies last quarter. But wedoubt that Spain’s recovery can... 23rd July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What explains the weakness of Belgian and Italian investment? Belgium’s weak economic fundamentals mean it sits near the bottom of the rankings in terms of core euro-zone commercial property investment destinations. While Italy suffers from an even weaker... 22nd July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Fears of a German housing bubble are overblown German house price inflation is modest by international standards, housing remains affordable andmortgage debt is low. Accordingly, fears of overheating seem overdone and should not ultimatelyprevent... 21st July 2014 · 1 min read
