Europe Economics Weekly Industrial recovery still going strong for now Recent news from the euro-zone industrial sector has provided some encouraging signs that, for now at least, output is merely starting to grow at a more sustainable rate, rather than grinding to a... 1st November 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update European commercial property investment volumes unlikely to take-off The recovery in European investment volumes appears to have reached a plateau. Unfortunately, yesterday’s ECB Bank Lending Survey, which showed a further net tightening of credit standards to firms... 29th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI (Oct.) & Unemployment (Sep.) The latest euro-zone unemployment and inflation data attest to the absence of price pressures in the region. As inflation drops back next year, we think the ECB is more likely to up its unconventional... 29th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update European commercial property investment volumes unlikely to take-off The recovery in European investment volumes appears to have reached a plateau. Unfortunately, yesterday’s ECB Bank Lending Survey, which showed a further net tightening of credit standards to firms... 29th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Recovery in euro-zone investment volumes is faltering (Q4 10) The recovery in European commercial property investment volumes seen since early 2009 seems to have reached a plateau. Although euro-zone property assets still look relatively attractively priced... 28th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey (Oct.) October’s improvement in the EC consumer and business survey and fall in German unemployment suggest that the euro-zone is holding up well for now. But the worrying divergence between core and... 28th October 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch ECB's tightening bias should not last long Recent comments from ECB members, together with a reduction in its bank lending and halt to bond purchases, suggest that the Bank has maintained a tightening bias. It will probably keep open the... 28th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Would a break-up of the euro help or hinder recovery? The long-term effects of some form of break-up of the euro-zone might ultimately prove to be positive. But the likely short-term damage means that such an event would hinder, rather than help, the... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Belgian growth slows as political stalemate drags on In a sign of what may be to come for the euro-zone, the pace of the Belgian recovery has slowed. While a modest fiscal tightening will partly shield consumers, the political crisis and talk of the... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Flash CPI (Oct.) October’s German CPI data confirmed that, even in the euro-zone’s best-performing economy, price pressures remain very subdued. 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will the proposed Irish budget cuts be big enough? The Irish Government’s announcement that it will implement an additional fiscal squeeze worth €7.5bn (4.8% of GDP) over the next four years is a big step in the right direction. But we think that... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Oct.) The latest euro-zone broad money and credit data provide further signs that the problems in the banking sector may be easing. Nonetheless, credit growth remains very weak and supports our view that... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swedish Riksbank hikes rates and signals more to come Despite the krona’s recent strength, the Swedish Riksbank raised interest rates for the third time in four months. Although further hikes are inevitable, we expect the pace of tightening to ease... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Swedish Riksbank hikes rates and signals more to come Despite the krona’s recent strength, the Swedish Riksbank raised interest rates for the third time in four months. Although further hikes are inevitable, we expect the pace of tightening to ease... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Still battling to achieve fiscal stability Last week was characterised by fairly downbeat news on economic activity and ongoing struggles to achieve fiscal goals. Although the German business surveys remained positive, October’s fall in the... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Oct.) October’s rise in the German Ifo survey suggests that the economy is defying the global gloom for now. But while the economy should grow by 3% or more this year, we still see weaker exports prompting... 22nd October 2010 · 1 min read
