Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Jan.) January’s increase in the German Ifo business climate index provides further hope that the economy will fare better in Q1 than Q4. 25th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update LTRO repayments to give mixed signals The expected repayment of some ECB LTRO funding should add to signs that the region’s banking system is on the mend. But it will also underline the weakness of demand in the region and could fuel... 24th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Jan.) January’s flash euro-zone Purchasing Managers’ Indices (PMIs) provided further evidence that the pace of contraction in the euro-zone economy has decelerated at the start of this year. But it is too... 24th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What scope for a virtuous circle? While the improvement in financial market sentiment seen over recent months should have some beneficial effects on the euro-zone’s troubled economies, hopes that a “virtuous circle” will bring an end... 23rd January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Spanish GDP (Q4 est.) The 0.6% contraction in Spanish GDP in Q4 last year serves as a timely reminder that, while market pressures on the country have abated in response to the ECB’s promised intervention, the underlying... 23rd January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Has European property investment turned a corner? The strong rise in European property investment volumes in Q4 was driven by only a handful of markets and appears largely seasonal. It is unlikely to be a sign that an upwards trend is forming. 22nd January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW Survey (Jan.) January’s sharp rise in German ZEW investor sentiment suggests that activity may have improved at the start of 2013 following a very weak end to last year. 22nd January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Post-election Germany might offer periphery more support Yesterday’s narrow loss for Germany’s current governing coalition in the state of Lower Saxony added to evidence that September’s general election could result in a change of government. While Angela... 21st January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Can Germany continue to grow in 2013? Last week’s news that German GDP rose by 0.7% in 2012 clearly confirmed that the economy broke no records. But it did well to continue growing at all in such a weak economic and political climate... 21st January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Spanish industrial rents: manufacturing to fall further behind logistics Steeper falls in manufacturing output than in consumer spending in Spain help to explain the recent underperformance of Spanish manufacturing property rents relative to the logistics sector. And if we... 17th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Cypriot bail-out struggles continue The Troika and the Cypriot Government have reached a stalemate, with the latter refusing to agree to the terms for a vital bail-out. An agreement should be reached after next month’s election and... 17th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update The euro could rise further - unhelpfully While the euro may well strengthen further in the near term, we still expect it to weaken again later in the year as worries over the currency union resurface. In the meantime, though, the strong... 15th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Investor's preference for retail over office in Vienna is likely to persist Over the past year or so, investors in Austrian property appear to have switched their preference from the office to the retail sector. Against an uncertain economic outlook, we expect this preference... 15th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Trade Balance (Nov.) & German GDP (2012) The latest euro-zone trade data and the 2012 German GDP figures do nothing to alter the view that the euro-zone economy ended the year on a low note. 15th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (Nov. 12) November’s euro-zone industrial production data provided further strong signs that the recession in the region as a whole intensified in the final quarter of last year. 14th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly ECB keeps its head in the sand The ECB’s comments last week dealt a blow to any hopes that it might provide more support to the euro-zone economy. With financial market conditions improving, the Bank no longer seems to be... 14th January 2013 · 1 min read
