Europe Data Response Swedish GDP (Q2) The Swedish GDP figures for Q2 confirmed that the economy is continuing to weather the storm from the euro-zone far better than most of its neighbours. 30th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Three little words The markets got very excited about three little words at the end of last week. Spanish and Italian bond yields plunged, and the euro and euro-zone stock markets rose sharply, in response to ECB... 27th July 2012 · 1 min read
ECB Watch More bond purchases, but no boost for the ESM Despite President Mario Draghi’s pledge to do “whatever it takes” to preserve the euro, the ECB appears unlikely to follow up July’s interest rate cut with further significant policy announcements at... 27th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jun.) The latest monetary data provide no indication that the ECB’s earlier liquidity measures are prompting banks to lend more to the wider economy. 26th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus How large a devaluation do the peripheral economies need? We think that some of the peripheral euro-zone economies may need their real exchange rates to fall by as much as 40% to regain competitiveness and kick start a period of export driven growth... 25th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Weaker currency won't save the euro-zone While the depreciation of the euro exchange rate is a helpful development for the euro-zone economy, suggestions that it alone can save the currency union look very hopeful. 25th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Jul.) July’s Ifo index will add to the growing concerns over the health of the German economy and the outlook for the country’s credit rating. 25th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Spanish bail-out will leave little in the pot A Spanish sovereign bail-out would leave little left in the pot to provide further assistance to Portugal and Ireland and, much more crucially, to deal with serious problems in Italy. 24th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus How will European retail rental values weather a fresh recession? Over the next couple of years, the response of Western European retail rental values to weak consumer spending is likely to be muted, in other words more similar to the experience of 2008/9 than to... 24th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Jul.) July’s euro-zone PMI survey supports the view that the region as a whole is in the midst of a pretty deep recession. 24th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is Greece about to move back into the spotlight? The formation of a ‘pro bail-out’ government may have recently shifted the markets’ spotlight away from Greece. But the Troika’s visit to Athens, which begins tomorrow, looks set to prompt renewed... 23rd July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Hopes of near-term policy boost fade further Developments last week confirmed that support for the periphery from the region’s core governments will be slow in coming. Some attention has turned back to the ECB for policy support, but it has very... 20th July 2012 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Could Finland be the catalyst for a euro-zone break up? Finland’s continued hardline stance on the provision of support to the peripheral economies increases the risk that the euro-zone will not implement the measures needed to maintain the existing... 19th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Could Finland be the catalyst for a euro-zone break up? Finland’s continued hardline stance on the provision of support to the peripheral economies increases the risk that the euro-zone will not implement the measures needed to maintain the existing... 19th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Is the office development pipeline still a risk to the Paris rental outlook? The latest indicators from the Paris office market suggest that occupier demand is softening while development activity is picking up. Accordingly, our concern that the city will face a supply... 19th July 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Despite safe-haven status, Swiss property yields likely to rise We think that the safe-haven status of Switzerland’s commercial property market has allowed Swiss all-property yields to fall to very low levels. But now they look stretched and vulnerable to a... 18th July 2012 · 1 min read
