Europe Data Response German Industrial Production (Sep. 12) September’s German industrial production figures poured cold water on recent talk of a recovery in the euro-zone’s biggest economy. 7th November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Could Romanian retail be a good medium-term bet? Fresh signs of life in the consumer sector, together with relatively low retail property prices, seem to have prompted investor interest in the Romanian retail market. But the immediate outlook for... 7th November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone unemployment has much further to rise We suspect that the recent rise in the euro-zone unemployment rate is a sign of things to come and see the rate peaking at about 13.5% next year. This, together with continued fiscal austerity, is... 6th November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Firms and households still unwilling to borrow October’s ECB Bank Lending Survey revealed that banks tightened their lending criteria further despite easing strains related to the sovereign debt crisis. And weak demand for loans was a more... 5th November 2012 · 1 min read
ECB Watch ECB adamant about conditions for bond buying The ECB seems set to remain on standby this month. With just the announcement of its Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) programme still buoying market sentiment, the Bank has yet to be called upon... 1st November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will German property rents be immune to the downturn? Recent business surveys do nothing to undermine our forecast that Germany will lapse back into recession next year. Admittedly, that recession should be mild. But that is unlikely to prevent... 1st November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Crunch time looms for Greece Over the next couple of crucial weeks, we suspect that Greek and euro-zone policymakers will hatch a deal to prevent, at least temporarily, the collapse of Greece’s rescue package. But as always... 1st November 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Bank deleveraging to prompt rise in distressed property sales The results of this morning’s Q3 ECB Bank Lending Survey suggest that both occupier and investment demand for commercial property in the euro-zone is likely to weaken in the near term. And with many... 31st October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (Sep.) & Flash CPI (Oct.) The rise in euro-zone unemployment in September, coupled with the high level of CPI inflation, does not bode well for consumer spending in the latter part of 2012. 31st October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update French outlook darkens as consumers cut back Recent falls in French consumer spending are a blow to the economy, which has been heavily reliant on households for growth in the past. With unemployment near a record high, banks cutting back their... 31st October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Oct. 12) The latest Spanish public finances data, which show that Spain is struggling to meet its budget deficit targets, will increase the pressure on the Government to request a bail-out. 30th October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey (Oct.) October’s deterioration in the euro-zone EC business and consumer surveys supported other evidence that the economy started Q4 on a very weak note. The fall in the headline Economic Sentiment... 30th October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Would a euro break-up be worse than the Lehmans crisis? The economic and financial effects of one or two small economies leaving the euro-zone would not necessarily be major, but the initial impact of a larger collapse would be rather more serious... 29th October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Is the core softening its stance? Developments over the past week or so suggest that the core euro-zone governments’ attitudes towards the peripheral economies currently receiving bail-outs may be mellowing. But while this reduces the... 29th October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Sep. 12) The latest monetary data have revealed that commercial banks are still using ECB funds to buy government bonds. Worryingly, though, the downturn in lending to the private sector has accelerated. 25th October 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Have Irish commercial property values reached a floor? The tone of both of today’s commercial property data releases was downbeat. Although the latest Bank of England survey showed that credit supply in the sector has improved slightly, borrowers are not... 25th October 2012 · 1 min read
