Europe Economics Weekly Is there any hope for euro-zone consumers? On the whole, the news on the euro-zone was fairly good again last week. Industrial figures from Germany confirmed that Q2 was a very good quarter and the final release of July’s euro-zone PMI surveys... 9th August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Political turmoil unlikely to threaten Italy's public finances Since Italy has already put in place measures to reduce its budget deficit over the next couple of years, the current political uncertainties do not pose a major risk to the near-term outlook for the... 9th August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production (Jun.) & Italian GDP (Q2) German industrial production data and GDP estimates from Italy and Spain confirm that the euro-zone recovery gained pace in Q2, with Germany far in the lead despite June’s small fall in production. 6th August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Are Paris retail yields too low? Compared to offices, history suggests that retail property yields in Paris are too low. The weak outlook for consumer spending and the stronger outlook for office rental value growth point to the same... 5th August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Cautious ECB to maintain policy support The ECB maintained a cautious stance towards the economic outlook at August’s press conference, despite recent surprisingly positive news. With the pick-up in growth likely to prove temporary, policy... 5th August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Euro-zone takes the lead... for now July’s improvement in the euro-zone composite PMI was an encouraging sign that the economic recovery has continued and marked a stark contrast with falls in similar indicators in the US and UK. With... 4th August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone PPI (Jun.)/Spanish Unemp. & Con. Conf. (Jul.) The continued strength of euro-zone producer price inflation, coupled with the recent increase in CPI inflation, may prompt concerns that inflationary pressures are building. But we still expect CPI... 3rd August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Peripheral concerns still central On the face of it at least, last week brought good news as economic sentiment rose further in July and there were tentative signs that strains in the banking sector could be easing. But with credit... 2nd August 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI (Jul.) & Unemployment (Jun.) July’s increase in euro-zone inflation probably reflected developments in energy and food prices, while core inflation remained low. The still high rate of unemployment in the region points to further... 30th July 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch A more positive tone, but tighter policy is distant The ECB’s decision to tighten future lending criteria and the fact that its bond purchases have ground to a near halt suggest that the Bank is again phasing out its unconventional policy support. The... 29th July 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Euro-zone investment market recovery under pressure (Jun 10) The gradual recovery in European commercial property investment volumes extended into Q2 2010. As a result, with the exception of Greece, property yields were either stable or fell slightly in all... 29th July 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey (Jul.) July’s improvement in the EC consumer and business surveys adds to the evidence that the euro-zone is performing surprisingly well. But divergences between the region’s economies are widening. 29th July 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Stronger surface hides widening cracks (Q3 10) The recent news on the European economy has defied the ongoing concerns over the fiscal crisis in the peripheral countries of the euro-zone. But the recovery in the export and industrial sectors could... 28th July 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German CPI (1st Est. Jul.) July’s increase in German HICP inflation, from 0.8% to 1.2%, was probably driven by a temporary rise in the energy and food components. With core inflation still very subdued and likely to remain so... 28th July 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jul.) The EU bank stress tests have provided some encouraging signs that parts of the euro-zone banking system may be in better health than feared. But as yet there is little sign that banks are becoming... 27th July 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Stress tests are no silver bullet Attention last week centred again on the bank stress tests, which were due for publication on Friday. While the results were unavailable at the time of writing, it already seemed clear that they would... 26th July 2010 · 1 min read
