Europe Economics Update More rate cuts to come from the Swedish Riksbank The Swedish Riksbank’s decision to leave interest rates on hold reflects concerns that further rate cuts may prompt household debt to rise further with potentially damaging longer-term consequences... 13th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q4 12) The Norwegian economy rebounded in Q4 after contracting the previous quarter on account of the energy sector, but mainland growth slowed significantly. 13th February 2013 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q4 12) The Norwegian economy rebounded in Q4 after contracting the previous quarter on account of the energy sector, but mainland growth slowed significantly. 13th February 2013 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update More rate cuts to come from the Swedish Riksbank The Swedish Riksbank’s decision to leave interest rates on hold reflects concerns that further rate cuts may prompt household debt to rise further with potentially damaging longer-term consequences... 13th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Mariodona’s words won’t be enough Mario Draghi halted the rise of the euro last week merely by hinting that the ECB might respond to the currency’s strength. But with other central banks taking action to weaken their currencies, we... 11th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Four reasons not to get carried away by better real estate equity prices The recent strength of European real estate equity prices would be consistent, on past form, with increases in physical property capital values this year. But we think there are four reasons why it is... 8th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB softens its tone slightly, but makes no promises The European Central Bank (ECB) took a slightly softer tone this month, acknowledging that a stronger exchange rate might alter the inflation outlook. But President Draghi stopped a long way short of... 7th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production (Dec.) December’s rise in German industrial production does not alter the likelihood that GDP fell sharply in Q4, but it does add to signs that the economy entered 2013 in a slightly better state. 7th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update The strong euro won’t be all bad - just mostly The rise in the euro is not unambiguously bad for the euro-zone economy. But the negatives are likely to outweigh the positives. 6th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Surveyors sound alarm bells for French and Dutch rents The generally weak picture of European commercial property occupier markets portrayed by the latest RICS global survey is broadly consistent with our own views on the near-term prospects for rental... 6th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Recovery still uneven The latest hard data have confirmed that the euro-zone ended 2012 on a very weak note, but survey indicators for January have brought further evidence that the pace of contraction eased at the start... 6th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update TARGET2 still points to big problems While the recent slight reduction in TARGET2 imbalances echoes other signs of improvement in the euro-zone, they still point to serious underlying problems in the economy and banking sector. 5th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Dec.) & Final PMI Survey (Jan.) December’s fall in euro-zone retail sales confirmed that the consumer sector remains under strain and supported other evidence that GDP fell sharply in Q4. But January’s final PMI survey added to... 5th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Are the green shoots of recovery emerging? Last week’s euro-zone data confirmed that the economy will probably fare better in Q1 than in Q4 2012. But for now at least the euro-zone business surveys remain in recession territory. Of course, if... 4th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI (Jan.) & Unemployment (Dec.) January’s fall in euro-zone inflation is good news for consumers, but with unemployment still at a record high in December, incomes and spending will remain under severe strain. 1st February 2013 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Draghi to shrug off currency concerns The continued improvement in financial market conditions and surveys of economic activity has taken some of the pressure off the ECB this month. We expect the Bank to strike a relatively hawkish tone... 31st January 2013 · 1 min read