Europe Economics Focus Will Denmark remain the Nordic laggard? Denmark is finally dragging itself out of its long slump. Households have started to deleverage, exporters have become more competitive and banks are now stronger. But given that these adjustments... 12th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB has more work to do to tackle the strong euro Last week’s cut in ECB interest rates has helped to relieve some of the near-term upward pressure on the euro. But the central bank will have to work harder to stop the strong currency from snuffing... 12th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Downgrade highlights France's slow fiscal progress The downgrade of France’s sovereign credit rating last week highlighted the country’s fiscal problems. Although a French debt crisis is still a fairly distant prospect, France’s weak fiscal position... 11th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Spain's fiscal prospects look brighter than Italy's Spain still faces major economic challenges, but we think that prospects there are brighter than in Italy where the medium-term outlook for the public finances remains pretty dire. Accordingly, we... 11th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly ECB rate cut to provide only a little boost The ECB’s unexpected interest rate cut last week was certainly a pleasant surprise and suggests that it is not writing off the potential threat of deflation. But there was little in the press... 11th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Rate cut welcome, but not a game-changer While the ECB’s largely unexpected decision to cut interest rates was welcome, the central bank cannot address the deep-seated problems still facing the currency union. 7th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Investment market recovery not warranted by occupier fundamentals Increased optimism in the euro-zone’s economic outlook may have prompted some investors to look through what they perceive to be the final stages of the occupier market downturn. But October’s fall in... 7th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production (Sep.) September’s German industrial production figures suggest that the country’s supposed growth engine may have slowed somewhat, if not stalled. 7th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Robust investment market built on shaky fundamentals The improvement in the euro-zone economy has supported a relatively active quarter for commercial property investment in Q3. Moreover, some types of investors have become increasingly willing to look... 6th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack ECB likely to soften stance but refrain from action The fall in euro-zone CPI inflation to a four year low of 0.7% has raised the prospect of a bout of outright deflation in the euro-zone economy. While cost pressures are not as weak as they were when... 6th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Sep.) & Final PMIs (Oct.) October’s fall in the euro-zone composite PMI to 51.9 suggests that the recovery continued at the start of Q4, but at a sluggish pace. Furthermore, September’s retail sales data highlight that... 6th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Norway's housing boom is ending Norway’s long housing boom is losing steam. Although a collapse in prices is unlikely, the slowdown in the housing market suggests that the economy will weaken more than the consensus expects. 5th November 2013 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Norway’s housing boom is ending Norway’s long housing boom is losing steam. Although a collapse in prices is unlikely, the slowdown in the housing market suggests that the economy will weaken more than the consensus expects. 5th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Should the ECB fear deflation? There are some good reasons why the ECB should be worried about the prospect of a bout of consumer price deflation in the euro-zone. But it is not clear that it has the firepower to prevent it. 4th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Credit constraints still a problem despite signs of easing The ECB’s Bank Lending Survey (BLS), published last week, suggested that credit constraints might soon start to ease in the euro-zone. But this improvement is only tentative; the fragility of the... 4th November 2013 · 1 min read
ECB Watch A softer stance With the economic recovery still pretty fragile, the euro climbing higher and inflation falling sharply, President Draghi may adopt a slightly softer stance at the ECB’s interest rate press conference... 31st October 2013 · 1 min read
