Europe Economics Weekly ECB raises the stakes This week’s EU summit to discuss the so-called “Grand Bargain” of policy proposals to tackle the euro-zone debt crisis already had a lot riding on it. But last week’s strong indication from the ECB... 7th March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB signals April rate hike The ECB gave a crystal clear signal today that it has already made the decision to raise interest rates in the near future. We have pencilled in quarter-point hikes in rates in both April and July. 3rd March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone GDP Breakdown (Q4) & Final Comp. PMI (Feb.) The second estimate of euro-zone Q4 GDP provides some welcome signs that the economic recovery in the region is becoming a little more broad-based. But there are still good reasons to think that the... 3rd March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will the underperformance of French retail rental values last? Relatively low levels of sentiment among French consumers and retailers alike seems to have prevented the French retail market from undergoing as strong a rental recovery as in some other markets... 3rd March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Recovery regaining momentum February’s sharp rises in the surveys of euro-zone business sentiment are an encouraging sign that the region’s fiscal squeeze is not yet having a severe impact on business confidence. This, coupled... 2nd March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Bond purchase stand-off bodes ill for grand policy plan The apparent impasse between the ECB and Germany over the purchase of peripheral government bonds not only makes it very likely that Portugal will have to accept a bail-out but also questions the... 2nd March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Feb.) Most of the peripheral euro-zone governments made some progress towards getting their public finances under control in 2010. But those economies are set for another painful squeeze this year and... 2nd March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Can European policymakers rise to the challenge? Well over a year into the euro-zone debt crisis, policymakers still face enormous challenges if they are to prevent the region’s problems from continuing to escalate. On current evidence, it is far... 1st March 2011 · 1 min read
Non-Euro Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Rental downturn now over... is it time for a recovery? For the first quarter since non-euro-zone European commercial property markets entered the downturn, on a quarterly basis, rental values did not fall in any office, retail or industrial market... 1st March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI & Unemployment (Feb./Jan.) The latest data on the euro-zone economy brought mixed news in the form of falling unemployment and rising inflation. 1st March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Swiss & Swedish GDP (Q4) Q4’s Swiss and Swedish GDP releases confirmed that some of the European economies outside the euro-zone are expanding at a healthy pace. But strong currencies will ensure that the external sectors... 1st March 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update New Irish Government faces daunting challenges News that Fine Gael and Labour are likely to form a coalition Government with a healthy majority will reduce political uncertainty in Ireland. But the new Government faces a major battle to improve... 28th February 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Will the German revival save the periphery? Healthy rises in the euro-zone business surveys in February add to evidence that the region as a whole and Germany in particular have made a strong start to the year. But while a bout of robust German... 28th February 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Flash CPI (Feb.) The further rise in German CPI inflation in February will do nothing to ease the ECB’s worries about building inflationary pressures. But we continue to think that the pickin German inflation is... 25th February 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Feb.) The latest euro-zone money and credit data continue to suggest that underlying inflationary pressures remain subdued. But needless to say, the recent surge in the oil price, coupled with the fact that... 25th February 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is a Portuguese bail-out just around the corner? The recent increase in Portuguese bond yields will increase the pressure on the Government to accept a bail-out. Nonetheless, the Government may resist requesting outside support for a little while... 24th February 2011 · 1 min read
