Europe Economics Focus Lessons from the Nordic financial crises of the 1990s The Nordic authorities’ handling of the early 1990s banking crises has since been hailed as being close to best practice. Nonetheless, given that a global economic upturn was a key factor behind the... 20th May 2009 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Lessons from the Nordic financial crises of the 1990s The Nordic authorities’ handling of the early 1990s banking crises has since been hailed as being close to best practice. Nonetheless, given that a global economic upturn was a key factor behind the... 20th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update First signs of improving investment markets in Western Europe? The latest RICS snapshot of global property markets offered some tentative hope that the pace of the correction in Western Europe might soon begin to moderate as improving investor demand helps to put... 19th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Latest GDP data do not alter commercial property outlook There was nothing in the latest euro-zone GDP releases to change materially our commercial property forecasts. If anything, however, the figures raised most concerns about the German property market... 15th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Fiscal boosts do not come for free Fiscal austerity is a thing of the past. However, in its just-released Regional Economic Outlook for Europe the IMF stressed that, without a credible and sustainable strategy to ensure fiscal... 13th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update German 'bad bank' plan brings little encouragement The ‘bad bank’ plan approved by the German Cabinet today goes a bit further towards solving banks’ problems than measures existing elsewhere in the euro-zone. But while the plan should improve banks’... 13th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update The biggest 'green shoot' is still missing While the latest OECD leading indicators brought further signs of the ‘green shoots’ of recovery in some euro-zone economies, Germany continues to suffer from the weakness in global trade. Until that... 12th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Likely drop in Q1 spending not a sign of things to come Although euro-zone retail sales have dropped lately, other types of spending appear to have held up relatively well. Sadly, it seems unlikely that this trend lasted into the first quarter and we... 12th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Have Norwegian property yields peaked? In the early stages of the correction, property yields in Oslo saw some of the largest rises of any European city. But the rate of increase slowed sharply in 2009Q1. However, it is too soon to... 8th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB disappoints on unconventional policies The ECB continues to lag behind. Although it delivered a 25bp interest rate cut today, the unconventional policy measures also announced look very timid compared to those already adopted by other... 7th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Retail rents: the euro-zone will outperform emerging Europe Our forecasts envisage that, in general, rental values in the euro-zone will hold up better through the recession in retail than in industrial markets. But the same will not be true in emerging Europe... 7th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Italy: is something moving under the surface? The old adage goes that if you ask ten economists their views on something you get ten different answers. But there is one topic where nearly all economists agreed some years back: the prognosis for... 7th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Q1 should mark the trough in the growth cycle April’s business surveys provided some tentative signs that the euro-zone economy may start to contract at a less rapid pace in Q2. But any improvement will be from a very low base. Indeed, the latest... 6th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Norwegian interest rates unlikely to fall much further Today’s further cut in interest rates by the Norges Bank has brought rates close to their likely trough. But with the risk of deflation remaining pretty small and the economy still on track for one of... 6th May 2009 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Norwegian interest rates unlikely to fall much further Today’s further cut in interest rates by the Norges Bank has brought rates close to their likely trough. But with the risk of deflation remaining pretty small and the economy still on track for one of... 6th May 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB's survey points to slower pace of credit tightening The Fed’s latest Senior Loan Officer Survey suggested that constraints on the supply of credit in the US have eased in the second quarter. (See our US Economics Update “Fed’s survey suggests credit... 5th May 2009 · 1 min read
