Europe Commercial Property Update Which sector might fare worst from the looming Italian recession? The prospect of a renewed recession in Italy is likely to mean that in each of the next two years all of the main commercial property sectors will see capital value falls. But the weak outlook for... 16th November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB unlikely to fire the silver bullet The idea that the European Central Bank (ECB) will fire a “silver bullet” into the euro-zone crisis by printing vast amounts of money to prop up the Italian bond market looks optimistic. Not only is... 14th November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy needs more than a new government The departure of Silvio Berlusconi may have prompted hopes that Italy has come back from the brink, but we still think that a new government is unlikely to prevent an eventual default. 14th November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Italy on the road to default We have long warned that Italy represents the single biggest threat to the currency union and last week, that threat loomed large. Bond yields rose to unsustainably high levels, suggesting that Italy... 14th November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Outlook Capital values to fall back in 2012 and 2013 We expect the euro-zone to fall back into recession in 2012 and 2013. We have therefore cut our commercial property forecasts to reflect the weaker economic backdrop. Over the next two years, we... 10th November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will the ECB come to Italy’s rescue? With Italian bond yields rocketing and European governments struggling to agree on a plan to raise finance, some have pinned their hopes on the ECB as possible lender of the last resort. While the... 9th November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy moves closer to the brink Recent developments in Italy, coupled with its deteriorating growth prospects and huge structural economic problems, support our view that the Italian government will eventually default. The huge... 9th November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Deepening crisis to prompt widespread recession The euro-zone debt crisis is having a severely damaging impact on the European macro-economy. Not only are the troubled peripheral economies set to remain deep in recession, but growth prospects have... 3rd November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek referendum throws whole rescue plan into doubt The Greek government’s surprise decision to hold a referendum on the latest euro-zone rescue package has clearly increased the risks of a bigger and disorderly default on Greek debt and, ultimately... 1st November 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Is Italy close to buckling? Italy’s recent austerity measures and ECB purchases of government bonds have brought Italy back from the brink. But we still think that Italy may eventually default, with huge repercussions for the... 30th September 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Is the Italian retail market as safe an investment as some think? Anecdotal evidence suggests that many investors believe that the Italian retail market offers a better risk profile than offices or industrial. We are not convinced. Indeed, with consumer spending... 24th September 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Concerns about Italy to resurface The Italian Government’s recent indecision over the form of its latest fiscal package underlines the view that it is unlikely to implement the tough and unpopular measures needed to get the public... 9th September 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Italy’s fiscal measures will need to be seen to be believed On the face of it, the response of the Italian Government to the recent market mayhem appears pretty impressive. But we are sceptical as to whether the Government can deliver on its promises. 10th August 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB purchases may have little lasting impact The ECB’s purchases of Italian and Spanish Government bonds have drawn a very positive initial response in the markets. But there are some good reasons to doubt that it will be sustained. 9th August 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Italy’s debt dynamics worsen Prior to the announcement of the second rescue package for Greece, we noted that anything other than a very decisive response by European policymakers could prompt Italy and Spain to be dragged deeper... 9th August 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Italian & Spanish GDP (Q2) & German Industrial Prod. (Jun.) The latest activity data from the euro-zone support our view that the recovery in the region as a whole is slowing sharply and cast further doubt on whether the likes of Italy and Spain can meet their... 6th August 2011 · 1 min read
