Europe Economics Update From bad to worse for Spanish consumers The recent run of bad news from Spain suggests that consumers’ wallets will remain firmly closed this year. While the Government’s fiscal package may provide households with a temporary boost in the... 3rd June 2008 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Growing troubles in the Baltics add to Sweden’s problems Concerns about the health of the Swedish banking system have increased further in response to a growing threat of an exchange rate devaluation in the Baltics. While the impact of such a devaluation on... 3rd June 2008 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Still talking tough, but next move will be down ECB President Trichet will maintain a familiarly hawkish tone at June’s press conference, perhaps adding to speculation that interest rates could yet rise further. We still expect inflation to... 29th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus How vulnerable are Spanish banks to a property crash? The Spanish banking system looks in relatively good health compared to those of some other eurozone economies. Nonetheless, a major adjustment in the domestic property sector could still cause banks... 27th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Weaker currency prompts action by Danish central bank The unexpected rise in the Danmarks Nationalbank lending rate highlights the Bank’s commitment to keep the Danish krone tightly pegged to the euro. 16th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Bank lending rates add to diverging growth trends Recent divergences in borrowing rates across different countries suggest that the impact of the credit crunch on households and corporates may be hitting some euro-zone economies harder than others. 8th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB rate cuts still some months away The European Central Bank’s decision to leave interest rates on hold clearly reflects ongoing concerns about the inflation outlook. What’s more, with no sign of any softening in the Bank’s hawkish... 8th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Surveys take a turn for the worse Evidence of a moderate slowdown in euro-zone economic activity has mounted in the past month, with even those survey indicators that were previously most optimistic taking a turn for the worse. After... 7th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Economic outlook to keep Club Med bond spreads elevated The narrowing in the spread between Club Med and German government bond yields over the past month is an encouraging sign that things could be returning to normal in the euro-zone bond markets. But... 7th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Sarkozy one year on In the year since his election, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has failed to live up to the French public’s great expectations, but he has achieved more than he is given credit for. Provided that he... 6th May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro not about to collapse Speculation is growing that the euro’s extended rally against the US dollar and UK pound is finally at an end. But with the euro-zone economy in fundamentally better shape than those of the US and UK... 2nd May 2008 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Rate cuts still some months away We expect the lack of a significant softening in the ECB’s hawkish tone at May’s press conference to confirm that the Bank is unlikely to cut interest rates for some months yet. But as the economy... 1st May 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Major economies diverging as growth slows (Q2 08) The outlook for the European economy remains relatively bright compared to the major downturn underway in the US. Nonetheless, divergences are widening between those economies subject to US-style... 30th April 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Inflation concerns to delay the ECB The European Central Bank’s continued hawkishness suggests that euro-zone interest rates are now unlikely to fall before the third quarter of this year at the earliest. But we still think rates will... 24th April 2008 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swedish and Norwegian interest rates should have peaked As expected, the Swedish Riksbank kept interest rates on hold today while the Norges Bank raised rates to 5.50%. But while the markets apparently see little chance of rates falling in 2008, we expect... 23rd April 2008 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Spain’s fiscal boost won’t offset the housing market downturn The latest news on the Spanish housing market supports our view that it is only a matter of time before house prices fall sharply with significant adverse effects on the wider economy. 18th April 2008 · 1 min read
