Europe Commercial Property Update Long road to recovery for Finnish and Portuguese retail rents Retail rental values in Helsinki and Lisbon have fallen by more than the euro-zone average. Helsinki has been hit by a steep drop in Finnish consumer spending, while increased supply has added to... 25th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey & German Unemployment (Feb.) February’s EC consumer and business survey adds to the recent run of worrying evidence on the euro-zone’s prospects. Our forecast for the economy to expand by 1.5% this year will depend on a renewed... 25th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Feb.) January’s euro-zone money supply and lending figures added to evidence that domestic demand remained very subdued at the start of this year. 25th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek bail-out now more likely than not The revelation that Greece used complex financial assets to improve the official figures on the public finances earlier this decade highlights the uncertainty surrounding the reliability of these... 24th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Easing German labour costs to help exporters Recent trade union deals point to a slowdown in German wage growth, which will come as a welcome relief to hard-pressed exporters. This supports our view that a robust export recovery will see Germany... 24th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German GDP (Q4) & Consumer Confidence (Mar.) The second German GDP release confirmed that the recovery ground to a halt in Q4, with exports still rising, but domestic spending very weak. Sadly, the latest fall in consumer confidence suggests... 24th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Is Q4’s Brussels office occupier market rebound sustainable? The spectacular rebound in office take-up in Brussels at the end of 2009 does not appear to be a total one-off. Indeed, relatively strong underlying demand and service sector sentiment suggests that... 23rd February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Feb.) & French Consumer Spending (Jan.) The latest data add to the recent run of bad news. With German Ifo business sentiment falling in February and French consumer spending dropping in January, there is little hope that the euro-zone... 23rd February 2010 · 1 min read
Japan Economics Update Is Japan the next Greece? Japan should be able to avoid the sort of crisis that has hit Greece so hard. Government debt may be even larger in Japan, but the country is in a much stronger position in almost every other respect. 22nd February 2010 · 1 min read
Non-Euro Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Lacklustre economies weigh on occupier markets (Feb 10) Rental values in most sectors and locations either fell or were unchanged in Q4. The sharpest declines occurred in the industrial sector. Scandinavia led a recovery in the investment market and... 22nd February 2010 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Greek tragedy to temper EMU expansion Recent events in Greece have fundamentally weakened the economic arguments in favour of a rapid expansion of the euro-zone to include EU member states in the East. Political appetite for euro-area... 22nd February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Weaker euro to offer exporters little respite The latest news from the euro-zone external sector suggests that although exports are expanding strongly, the strong euro is taking its toll on the sector. The recent weakening of the euro is... 22nd February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Feb.) The euro-zone composite PMI was unchanged in February, adding to evidence that the economy probably expanded at a fairly lacklustre pace at the start of this year. 19th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Norwegian GDP (Q4) Q4’s disappointing GDP figures suggested that the Norwegian economy is still in a reasonably fragile state. Accordingly, the Norges Bank risks derailing the recovery if it raises interest rates too... 18th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Increased supply will weigh on Italian office rental values Although office rental values in Italy have held up reasonably well over the past eighteen months, a slow recovery in the economy and a rise in development completions suggest that this will not last... 18th February 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is Belgium the Greece of the North? Despite growing fairly solidly in the last two quarters, Belgium shares some worrying similarities with Greece and the other troubled Southern euro-zone economies. But its stronger trade position and... 17th February 2010 · 1 min read
