Europe Data Response EC Survey (Apr.) and Euro-zone Bank Lending (Mar.) The largest-ever slump in the EC Economic Sentiment Indicator in April comes as no surprise but, along with the 3.9% q/q fall in Belgian GDP in Q1, it underlines the depth of the euro-zone’s recession... 29th April 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response ECB Bank Lending Survey (Q1 2020) The Bank Lending Survey highlights the fact that demand has fallen much further in Italy and Spain than elsewhere. But it also suggests that loan guarantees and the ECB’s cheap loans to banks are... 28th April 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Lockdown April the nadir, but slow recovery ahead Following the further slump in the April surveys, the lifting of some restrictions in a number of member states over the past week or so has provided a glimmer of hope that April might mark the bottom... 24th April 2020 · 9 mins read
ECB Watch ECB set to ramp up asset purchases The ECB has ramped up its asset purchases to a record pace, but this still doesn’t look like enough. We think it will expand the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme, and may explore extra measures... 23rd April 2020 · 8 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Apr.) April’s PMIs are shockingly bad and suggest that economic activity has all but ground to a halt. Some virus containment measures are now being lifted, but output will be very weak for many more months... 23rd April 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response EC Consumer Confidence (Apr.) The slump in the EC euro-zone consumer confidence index in April was another record decline. However, the index excludes data for Italy and almost certainly understates the true extent of the... 22nd April 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB will need to increase its bond purchases again The ECB’s record pace of asset purchases is proving insufficient to bring bond spreads down. We think that it will need to step up the pace of purchases further, as well as expand the overall size of... 22nd April 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Divided politicians to leave ball in ECB’s court Proposals for a major, joint fiscal initiative are under discussion again ahead of tomorrow’s EU leaders’ meeting. But the gulf between those in favour and against looks too large to bridge. As a... 22nd April 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economic Outlook Slump puts new strains on currency union The lockdown has triggered the biggest economic slump since WW2 with activity likely to drop by around 20% in Q2. As the peak of the epidemic passes, restrictions will be lifted gradually, and... 21st April 2020 · 29 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly ECB might need a bigger bazooka The ECB is now buying assets at a record pace. But it is still struggling to keep a lid on bond yields, so there is a good chance that it has to step up its purchases even further. Meanwhile, new... 17th April 2020 · 8 mins read
Europe Economics Update Eurogroup agrees on lowest common denominator The Eurogroup’s agreement on €540bn, or 4.5% of GDP, of support for responses to the coronavirus crisis falls a long way short of the large-scale joint fiscal boost which many euro-zone governments... 10th April 2020 · 3 mins read
Capital Daily ECB more important than Eurogroup for E-Z bond yields The overall small market reaction to yesterday’s inconclusive Eurogroup meeting supports our view that ECB policy, rather than the outlook for public finances, will be the main driver of euro-zone... 8th April 2020 · 7 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Deepest downturn since WW2 The euro-zone is experiencing an unprecedented collapse in economic activity. We suspect that GDP will be roughly 25% below its pre-crisis level during the lockdowns, with the scale of devastation... 6th April 2020 · 12 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Construction PMIs (Mar.) March’s construction PMIs add to the evidence that activity across the euro-zone has taken a big hit, while Italy’s stricter virus containment measures have had a catastrophic effect on output. 6th April 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro-zone leaders argue as economy collapses Data this week provided yet more evidence that the lockdowns in place across the euro-zone have caused economic activity to collapse, forcing firms to lay off millions of workers across the region at... 3rd April 2020 · 5 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Final PMIs (Mar.) The PMIs show that activity in Italy and Spain plummeted even before the authorities in both countries shut down all non-essential businesses. Euro-zone GDP is almost certain to fall at a record pace... 3rd April 2020 · 2 mins read
