Europe Economics Update Conditions in place for an Italian consumer recovery On the face of it, the latest news from the Italian household sector has been pretty disappointing and suggests that consumer spending may have fallen fairly sharply in Q3. Nonetheless, we think that... 25th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Commercial property outlook rosier for France than Germany Over the next two years we think that the German economy will deliver slightly stronger growth than France. Even so, we think that the downside risks to French rental values are less, while a higher... 25th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greece’s fiscal mess spells bad news for growth prospects The recent news on the Greek public finances has been terrible and suggests that the Government faces a huge task to get its fiscal house in order. Eventually, we expect pressure from the European... 20th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What do vacancy rates tell us about office rental prospects? At the start of the recession, office vacancy rates across Europe varied hugely. Yet, however tempting it may have been to assume that rental values in markets with the lowest vacancy rates were... 20th November 2009 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Scandinavian housing market recovery unlikely to last The recent surge in Swedish and Norwegian property prices has fuelled concerns that both economies’ central banks may be forced to ratchet up interest rates in order to prevent housing market bubbles... 17th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Retail yield correction in the Netherlands still underway Over the past two years the prime retail yield in Amsterdam has gone from one of the lowest in the euro-zone to one of the highest. Given the relatively weak performance of Dutch retail sales, this... 17th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Scandinavian housing market recovery unlikely to last The recent surge in Swedish and Norwegian property prices has fuelled concerns that both economies’ central banks may be forced to ratchet up interest rates in order to prevent housing market bubbles... 17th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Office v industrial rents: why have Italy and Portugal been different? The relatively large falls in industrial rental values in Italy and Portugal appear to stem from poor links to Europe’s primary logistics corridors. With a strong dependence on their domestic economic... 12th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Office development cut, but not enough to prevent rental declines In response to the recession developers have cancelled new construction projects where possible. Unfortunately the cutbacks made have not prevented office completions from rising this year. Although... 11th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB edging towards the exit The latest comments from the ECB suggest that it is edging slowly towards the policy stimulus exit. But the outstanding stock of central bank loans to ommercial banks will remain very high for some... 5th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Recovery gathers momentum The past month has brought further signs that the euro-zone is recovering, albeit quite gradually. For a start, July and August’s increases in industrial production suggest that output in the sector... 4th November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Spanish retail recovery not yet in sight as confidence falls in October October’s fall in the ICO measure of Spanish consumer confidence was not all bad news for property markets; confidence is still much higher than it was six months ago and expectations for the future... 3rd November 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update RICS survey more upbeat, except for Europe Overall, the latest RICS survey of global commercial property markets was more upbeat than the last. However, the improvements were mostly evident in Asia. Within Europe, both occupier and investment... 2nd November 2009 · 1 min read
ECB Watch No hints of tighter policy The ECB will leave interest rates on hold at 1.0% at its November policy meeting and we do not expect it to announce any significant change in its policy of providing generous loans to the banking... 29th October 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Euro-zone investment market thawing out (Nov 09) The tightening of credit conditions in Europe may be coming to an end. Coupled with improved investor appetite, European property transactions are on the up. Signs of life are also emerging in some... 29th October 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Who is most at risk from deflation? Along with other regions, the euro-zone remains at risk from a prolonged and damaging bout of deflation. But the threat posed by deflation varies considerably between different countries. Spain and... 28th October 2009 · 1 min read