Europe Economics Update Gas prices and European competitiveness The increase in European gas prices caused by the Iran war has been much smaller than in 2022 but it will make European industry less competitive compared to the US. Within Europe, it will weigh on... 1st May 2026 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly The ECB’s balancing act Data released this week add to the evidence that the hit to the economy from higher energy prices could be a bit bigger than we have assumed in our baseline forecasts. But the upside risks to... 1st May 2026 · 6 mins read
Global Economics Update Central banks indicate rising risk of near-term hikes We recently hosted an online Drop-In session to review the latest Fed, ECB and Bank of England decisions and what their communications imply for the future. (Recording available here.) This Update... 1st May 2026 · 6 mins read
Global Economics Focus China’s rising trade surplus and its global implications China’s trade surplus has reached a record 1% of world GDP and looks set to rise further. It’s been driven, in part, by a surge in China’s exports – China has gained export market share across both... 30th April 2026 · 18 mins read
Europe Economics Update Lagarde prepares the ground for rate hikes While today’s decision to leave the ECB deposit rate at 2.0% was expected, President Lagarde used the press conference to signal that interest rates will rise. Unless there is a big drop-back in... 30th April 2026 · 3 mins read
Europe Rapid Response ECB Policy Announcement (April 2026) While the ECB’s decision to leave its deposit rate unchanged at 2.0% today was expected and the monetary policy statement gives little away, the chances of rate hikes later this year appear to be... 30th April 2026 · 2 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Euro-zone GDP (Q1 2026) & HICP (April 2026) The euro-zone economy lost a little pace even before the Iran war began , and the business surveys point to stagnation at the start of Q2. Meanwhile, the pick-up in inflation in April reflected higher... 30th April 2026 · 2 mins read
Europe Rapid Response National GDP (Q1 2026) National data released so far suggest that GDP growth in the euro-zone probably slowed to 0.1% q/q (data due at 10.00am BST). Excluding Ireland, GDP is likely to have risen by 0.2%, which is a... 30th April 2026 · 2 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Euro-zone EC Survey & German State CPI (April 2026) April’s EC survey suggests the Iran war may hit euro-zone activity a bit harder than we are forecasting. Services firms’ selling price expectations rose further but not enough for the ECB to take... 29th April 2026 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB Bank Lending & Consumer Expectations Surveys The ECB’s Q1 Bank Lending Survey (BLS) suggests that the negative effects of higher energy prices on economic activity in the euro-zone could be bigger than we have assumed. At the same time, the jump... 28th April 2026 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly What to make of the April’s weak surveys The larger-than-expected fall in euro-zone activity surveys in April challenges our view that the hit from the Iran war will be small. But the surveys have not always been a good guide to actual... 24th April 2026 · 8 mins read
ECB Watch ECB will not rush into rate hikes The ECB is not going to raise its interest rates next week and policymakers are likely to say they will need to see more evidence of second-round effects on inflation before doing do. We think the... 23rd April 2026 · 7 mins read
Global Commercial Property Update CRE construction cost rises most impactful in retail and hotels Commercial real estate construction costs are already showing signs of rising due to the Iran war. While this will weigh on profitability of new projects, the impact will vary by sector, with retail... 23rd April 2026 · 3 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (April) The sharp fall in the PMI activity indices in April suggests at face value that the Iran conflict may have more of chilling effect on activity than we have been assuming, while the increases in the... 23rd April 2026 · 2 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Euro-zone Consumer Confidence (April) After a big drop in March, euro-zone consumer confidence fell again in April and reached its lowest level since late 2022, at a time when household consumption was declining. For now we suspect that... 22nd April 2026 · 2 mins read
Global Commercial Property Update Weaker near-term hotel outlook; Europe better placed ahead A soft consumer spending outlook and subdued business demand, reinforced by the effects of the Iran war, will weigh on global hotel demand in the coming years. Longer term, hotel performance will be... 21st April 2026 · 4 mins read
