Europe Economics Focus Italy’s recovery: lessons from Iberia Spain’s and Portugal’s recoveries offer some hope for Italy, the periphery’s laggard. But Italy’s exports are still too uncompetitive and its firms too unprofitable to mimic the export and investment... 22nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Industrial Production (May) The rebound in French and Italian industrial production in May came as a welcome relief after Q2’s weak start and the disappointing German data earlier in the week. But across the euro-zone as a whole... 10th July 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Reforms will help Italian banks crawl back to health Recent reforms will help Italy’s fragile banking system. But a legacy of bad debts and the earlier tightening of lending standards will weigh on the country’s recovery for a while yet. 2nd July 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy still not ready to pay down its debt Italy’s fiscal position is gradually improving. But contrary to the message from official forecasts, Italy has not yet done enough to start paying down its colossal public debt. 16th June 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Industrial Production (Apr.) The falls in French and Italian industrial production in April suggest that euro-zone industry will be a weaker driver of GDP growth in Q2. 10th June 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italian households will be slow to feel recovery Italy’s economy looks set to grow again in Q2. But households there will remain under enormous pressure for the foreseeable future, which has implications for the strength of the recovery and support... 4th June 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response EC Business & Consumer Survey (May) The European Commission’s monthly Business and Consumer survey for May offered some assurance that the modest euro-zone recovery has continued despite the ongoing Greek crisis. 28th May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Market gyrations could threaten recovery The sharp rise in euro-zone bond yields and further appreciation of the euro last week might look like a response to the recent improvement in the euro-zone’s economic performance. But the renewed... 8th May 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will an Italian economic recovery boost commercial property in 2015? Despite recent positive economic data, the Italian economy is unlikely to rebound strongly this year. Nevertheless, a loosening of credit standards and the fact that real estate loans are now being... 15th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Italian Industrial Production (Feb.) February’s Italian industrial production data added to signs that the long recession may finally be coming to an end. But the recovery still looks surprisingly slow given the boost provided by falls... 13th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Recovery prospects clouded by Greece Recent indicators have brought signs of a renewed recovery in the euro-zone economy, reflecting the beneficial effects of lower oil prices and the decline in the euro exchange rate. But the picture... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Madrid all-property yields set to stay below those in Milan Historically, all-property yields in Madrid have tended to be higher than those in Milan. Yet over the past year, that spread has reversed. Given Spain’s stronger economic prospects and the outlook... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Industrial Production (Jan.) January’s French industrial data support the message from the German and Spanish releases that activity was expanding slowly at the start of the year. But the fall in Italian production suggests that... 10th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Feb.) After consolidating their fiscal positions in 2014, the peripheral economies had a mixed start to 2015. Ireland and Italy both fared comparatively well but Portugal and Greece struggled. 3rd March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German, Italian & Spanish Flash CPI (Feb.) February’s energy-related increases in inflation in Germany, Spain and Italy did little to reduce the threat of a prolonged bout of deflation in future. Headline rates remain either extremely low or... 27th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Grexit risks rising Several developments last week arguably brought Greece closer to exiting the euro-zone than it has ever been. While the Government appeared to give ground on its demands for debt restructuring, its... 6th February 2015 · 1 min read