Europe Economics Weekly Will the ECB shy away from an April rate hike? Recent events in Japan and the sharp fall in euro-zone equity prices mean that an interest rate hike by the ECB in April is now less certain. For now at least, we continue to think that the Bank will... 21st March 2011 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update SNB interest rate hike not around the corner Despite growing domestic price pressures, the Swiss National Bank left its interest rate target at 0.25% at today’s meeting. While the Bank’s tone was a bit more upbeat than expected, the inflation... 17th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Divergent prospects for CEE property markets As in the West, commercial property markets in Emerging Europe are likely to split into three camps over the next two years - the good, the bad and the also-rans. While we remain wary of property... 17th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update SNB interest rate hike not around the corner Despite growing domestic price pressures, the Swiss National Bank left its interest rate target at 0.25% at today’s meeting. While the Bank’s tone was a bit more upbeat than expected, the inflation... 17th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Danish investment market to continue lagging Scandinavian recovery Given the weaker prospects for economic and rental growth in Denmark relative to Norway and Sweden, as well as the fact that commercial property in Copenhagen looks fairly pricey, the Danish property... 16th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone CPI (Final, Feb.) & Labour Costs (Q4.) February’s final euro-zone CPI inflation figures revealed that the rise in the headline rate was once again down to energy and food. With core inflation still very subdued and global concerns building... 16th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What does the "Euro Pact" mean for Portugal? Contrary to prior expectations, Portugal was not pushed into accepting a bail-out at this weekend’s euro-zone summit. Instead, the “Euro Pact” and Portugal’s announcement of new fiscal measures eased... 15th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW (Mar.) & Euro-zone Employment (Q4) March’s small fall in the headline German ZEW index suggests that investor sentiment might be starting to ease in response to the ECB’s increasingly hawkish stance and global concerns. But this does... 15th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will the "Grand Bargain" prove to be a turning point? Measures announced by European leaders late last Friday to try to resolve the region’s fiscal problems have provided the markets with a boost. But the measures are not as far-reaching as had been... 14th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (Jan.) January’s euro-zone industrial production data suggest that the sector has made a reasonably solid start to the year. Nonetheless, they add to evidence that the wider economy has grown at a slower... 14th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Political hurdles threaten grand plan Expectations for the EU summit to discuss the latest policy proposals to tackle the euro-zone debt crisis have fallen so far that the scope for disappointment in the near term may be limited... 14th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Italian & Portuguese GDP (Breakdown, Q4) The Italian and Portuguese Q4 GDP expenditure breakdowns add to evidence that the divergence in economic growth between the northern and southern euro-zone economies is unlikely to narrow... 11th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Is the convergence of Zurich and Geneva office rents justified? The combination of stronger occupier demand from multinational and financial services firms, lower completion volumes and a low starting vacancy rate has helped close the gap between the level of... 10th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is Greece still facing a funding crisis? Recent financial market developments suggest that Greece is as far away as ever from convincing investors that it can get its public finances on a stable footing without defaulting. What’s more, there... 9th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production (Jan.) January’s sharp rise in German industrial production adds to evidence that the recovery in the sector and the wider economy still has plenty of momentum and that Germany will remain the euro-zone’s... 9th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Iceland's troubles are far from over Q4’s renewed contraction in Icelandic GDP is a reminder that the economy will struggle to sustain a decent recovery. While the end of the Icesave saga provides some signs of hope, we doubt it will... 8th March 2011 · 1 min read
