Europe Economics Weekly French outlook bright despite reform worries French consumers are, rather unusually, very upbeat at the moment, with measures of consumer confidence at or close to multi-year highs. In particular, they are much less worried about being made... 1st September 2017 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Euro’s rise to keep taper plans on the back burner The appreciation of the single currency since the ECB’s last meeting has strengthened the case to delay the formal announcement of asset purchase tapering until October. But with growth strong and... 31st August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI (Aug.) & Unemployment (Jul.) The latest euro-zone inflation and unemployment data broadly support the case for the ECB to taper its asset purchases next year, but the Bank seems unlikely to announce its plan until its October... 31st August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response EC Business & Consumer Survey (Aug.) The rise in the EC’s measure of euro-zone economic sentiment in August left the index pointing to stronger GDP growth ahead and will do little to take the pressure off the euro exchange rate. But with... 30th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jul.) July’s euro-zone money and credit data are consistent with limited inflationary pressure in the region. Coupled with the renewed rise in the euro to above $1.20, this strengthens the case for the ECB... 29th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Economy shrugs off stronger euro for now Although the euro’s strength does not appear to have had an adverse impact on the euro-zone economy so far, this may not last. After all, unless the currency’s recent appreciation is reversed, it... 25th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Aug.) August’s small rise in the euro-zone Composite PMI suggests that economic growth maintained its pace in Q3. With the recovery healthy, we think that the ECB will proceed with tapering its asset... 23rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Synchronised recovery makes the ECB’s job easier The euro-zone’s economic growth is unusually synchronised across the region. Economies in the core continue to do well, while previously-struggling countries like Italy and Portugal are growing again... 18th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone, Italy & Netherlands GDP (Q2, Flash) The second estimate of euro-zone Q2 GDP confirmed that the recovery gathered pace. And with surveys suggesting that the economy continued to expand at a healthy rate at the start of Q3, the outlook... 16th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (Jun.) Despite June’s decline in euro-zone industrial production, the sector’s contribution to GDP growth probably picked up in Q2. And surveys suggest that industry put in a decent performance at the start... 14th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Ten years on, is the euro-zone out of the woods? Ten years ago this week marked the start of the global financial crisis and a challenging time for the euro-zone economy. In many respects, the euro-zone finally appears to be out of the woods. Growth... 11th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Will the euro-zone continue to outperform? In the first half of this year, GDP in the euro-zone expanded at a faster pace than that in either the US or the UK. But while we remain very positive on the outlook for the euro-zone economy, the... 4th August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack Sharp rise in euro weighs on equities The euro has risen sharply over the past month and in early August reached its highest level against the US dollar since early 2015. Strikingly, the rise has occurred against a backdrop of broadly... 3rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Jun.) & Final PMIs (Jul.) June’s rise in euro-zone retail sales capped a strong quarter and suggests that household spending growth picked up in Q2. Although July’s final euro-zone Composite PMI implies that broader economic... 3rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (Jun.) & Flash CPI (Jul.) While June’s unemployment data painted a positive picture of the euro-zone labour market, July’s CPI release confirmed that this strength is putting only modest upward pressure on underlying inflation... 31st July 2017 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update Global growth recovered in Q2, set to hold up well Data published this week suggest that global economic growth almost certainly picked up a bit in Q2. We expect it to remain fairly rapid for the next year or two, even as China’s economy loses steam. 28th July 2017 · 1 min read
