Europe Economics Update Macron can’t rely on National Assembly support for reforms Even if centrist Emmanuel Macron wins the second round of the presidential election, his En Marche! party almost certainly won’t secure a majority in the National Assembly following June’s legislative... 27th April 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Macron-Le Pen run-off raises hopes for French revival The opinion polls were right for once and a strong showing for centrist liberal reformer Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the French election has raised hopes of growth-boosting labour market... 24th April 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Key questions about the French election After a tumultuous and ultimately nail-biting campaign, French voters head to the polls on Sunday to begin the process of electing their President. The opinion polls suggest that this first-round vote... 21st April 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Would Marine Le Pen’s margin of defeat make a difference? Assuming that Marine Le Pen loses in the second round of the French presidential election, her most radical eurosceptic and protectionist policies will gain little traction at home over the next five... 20th April 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Outlook has brightened despite political risk The euro-zone has continued to perform very well and we now expect growth to be stronger than the consensus forecast this year and next. Inflation has been lower than we had assumed, meaning that... 19th April 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus How will the French economy fare after the election? France’s presidential election puts the country, and arguably the entire European Union, at a historic crossroads. The more likely path is one of liberal reforms that could boost growth and strengthen... 13th April 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German & French Industrial Production (Feb.) February’s sharp rise in German industrial production and wider trade surplus help to reconcile the recent gap between the hard data and surveys, and imply that GDP rose sharply in Q1. But the French... 7th April 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Ger. & Spa. Retail Sales, French Cons. Spending (Feb.) Today’s expenditure data gave mixed messages on the health of the euro-zone’s consumer sector. While higher inflation does not appear to have hit German consumer spending in Q1, spending growth may... 31st March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly What is the state of play as election season kicks off? Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte described last week’s election as the “quarter finals to beat the wrong sort of populism”. The forthcoming French presidential election will be the semi-final, and the... 17th March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Regional France retail rental growth to slow from 2018 Weaker real wage growth in France will cause consumer spending growth to slow over the next couple of years. This will lead to softer demand for prime high street units in the French regional cities... 15th March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Should we believe the upbeat French business surveys? The positive message from France’s business surveys suggests that economic growth will accelerate sharply in the coming months. But they probably overstated growth again in Q1, while political fears... 9th March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German & Spanish Industrial Production, French Trade (Jan.) January’s rise in German industrial production reversed December’s fall and provided a solid start to Q1. But so far, hard data on Germany and elsewhere in the euro-zone suggest that growth will not... 8th March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone GDP Expenditure Breakdown (Q4) The final estimate of euro-zone GDP in Q4 showed that growth was driven mainly by household spending. But with rising energy inflation now weighing on households’ real income growth, we expect the... 7th March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Next French President won’t enjoy carte blanche None of the three frontrunners in this spring’s French presidential election looks likely to be able to depend on majority support in Parliament should they be elected. This will weaken their capacity... 2nd March 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update “Macronomics” could put France on the right track French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron last night confirmed that he intends to cut overall government spending, boost public investment and overhaul the labour market. These are all long... 24th February 2017 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Have Paris retail rents reached a plateau? Stagnant rental values in the prime Paris retail sector over the past couple of years have seen the view that rental values have reached a ceiling gain momentum. But we believe that the factors which... 20th February 2017 · 1 min read
