Europe Commercial Property Update German office rents least at risk from excess supply Although the risk from new supply is less than in previous cycles, completions in all the major Western European office markets are likely to push vacancy rates up this year. This will keep rental... 14th April 2010 · 1 min read
UK Commercial Property Update Will Irish bank rescue plan derail commercial property recovery? With Irish investors having been such big players during the most recent commercial property boom across Europe, there are now concerns (highlighted, for example, in a recent Property Week) that the... 13th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will Irish bank rescue plan derail commercial property recovery? With Irish investors having been such big players during the most recent commercial property boom across Europe, there are now concerns (highlighted, for example, in a recent Property Week) that the... 13th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Modest industrial recovery on track Last week’s further blow-out in Greek bond yields suggests that any slim chances that Greece had of muddling through its crisis on its own have all but evaporated. Some form of rescue - or at least a... 12th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Downbeat ECB to maintain strong policy support While President Trichet sought to reassure markets today that aid would be provided for Greece if necessary, his call for aggressive fiscal tightening there and elsewhere underlined the prospect of... 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Fall in euro-zone retail sales highlights the challenges facing retailers February’s 0.6% monthly fall in euro-zone retail sales volumes suggests that occupier demand for retail space is still weak in the single currency region. And given that the occupier market outlook... 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production & Euro-zone Retail Sales (Feb.) February’s data on German industrial production and euro-zone retail sales put a dent in hopes that, after stagnating in Q4 last year, the euro-zone economy will have expanded strongly again in Q1. 8th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Fiscal worries darken the outlook The news on the euro-zone continues to be dominated by the fiscal crisis in Greece, which has prompted Greek government bond yields and the cost of insuring against default using credit default swaps... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Final GDP (Q4), Final PMIs (Mar.) & PPI (Feb.) The downward revision to Q4’s euro-zone GDP figures is a reminder of the economy’s fragility. Thankfully, March’s final PMI survey brought further evidence that the recovery resumed in Q1. But the... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Can Germany save the euro-zone? Increased domestic spending in Germany would not only assist the euro-zone’s troubled periphery but would also be in Germany’s own interests, helping to reduce unemployment. However, while there are... 7th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Where will European industrial rental values fare best? Over the next two years, we think that the three European countries with the strongest outlook for industrial rental value growth are Poland, France and Switzerland. By contrast, taking into account... 6th April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Pick-up in euro-zone inflation unlikely to last March’s stronger than expected rise in CPI inflation, combined with the recent depreciation of the euro, may ignite fears that inflationary pressures in the euro-zone are beginning to build. But we... 5th April 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Maintaining a dovish tone The ECB is unlikely to make any major decisions at its April meeting after taking a big step towards phasing out unconventional policy support in March. While the Bank will argue that measures to... 1st April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Greek and Portuguese rental forecasts downgraded We have cut our forecasts for rental value growth in Greece and Portugal over the next two years by around 6% and 4% respectively. The cuts reflect downgrades to our GDP growth forecasts. Our rental... 1st April 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update German labour market could weaken but offices will be unscathed While March’s fall in German unemployment was welcome news, we suspect that renewed rises lie ahead this year as ‘kurzarbeit’ subsidies begin to expire for many workers. However, given that most of... 31st March 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI (Mar.) & Unemployment (Feb.) March’s increase in euro-zone HICP inflation related mainly to energy effects and should be short-lived. Indeed, the further increase in euro-zone unemployment in February was another sign that... 31st March 2010 · 1 min read