Europe Economics Update Will France fall into a triple-dip recession? Recent economic data may overstate the threat that the French economy will enter a triple-dip recession in Q4. But they do underline that the country’s recovery in 2014 will be very weak. 18th December 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Is there any value left in French and German property? Commercial property in the euro-zone's two largest economies may appear expensive. But given the market's size, liquidity and perceived safe-haven status, as well as our view that capital values will... 9th December 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update French firms will do little to support the recovery The breakdown of France’s Q3 drop in GDP, released last week, underlined the pressure on firms. Without more ambitious structural reforms, weak investment and employment growth mean that French GDP... 18th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Signs of growth convergence provide little comfort Q3's meagre rise in euro-zone GDP clearly was disappointing, but there were some signs that growth within the region is converging. The slowdown was largely down to weaker growth in Germany and France... 18th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Downgrade highlights France's slow fiscal progress The downgrade of France’s sovereign credit rating last week highlighted the country’s fiscal problems. Although a French debt crisis is still a fairly distant prospect, France’s weak fiscal position... 11th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Robust investment market built on shaky fundamentals The improvement in the euro-zone economy has supported a relatively active quarter for commercial property investment in Q3. Moreover, some types of investors have become increasingly willing to look... 6th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Any fall in French unemployment will be largely illusory Contrary to expectations, French President François Hollande may fulfil his promise to reduce unemployment by the end of the year. But he will do so by relying on temporary initiatives rather than... 31st October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Ind. Production (Aug.) The latest industrial figures heighten the risk that both the French and Italian economies contracted in Q3, confirming that the euro-zone’s recovery is strongly reliant on Germany. 10th October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Growth prospects improve, but crisis unresolved The European economy has shown further signs of recovery, with the euro-zone finally emerging from recession in the second quarter and other parts of the continent also faring better. But growth in... 8th October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Are opportunities emerging in European non-prime property? The spreads between non-prime and prime yields in some of Europe’s core property investment markets have widened over the past few years. But without stronger evidence of a sustainable economic... 3rd October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What next for French and German capital values? September’s MPC minutes suggest that, despite the arguably disappointing impact of forward guidance, the Committee is happy with its policy stance. A resumption of quantitative easing (QE) before the... 17th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Data dent hopes of French renaissance July’s French industrial production data were a blow to hopes that the economy is staging a longawaited recovery. With business surveys at low levels, consumer confidence weak, unemployment rising and... 16th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Italian GDP (Q2) & French Industrial Production (Jul.) Although Q2’s final Italian GDP figures painted a reasonably encouraging picture, timelier hard data, such as the French industrial production numbers for July, suggest that the euro-zone economy... 10th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Italian GDP (Q2) & French Industrial Production (Jul.) Although Q2’s final Italian GDP figures painted a reasonably encouraging picture, timelier hard data, such as the French industrial production numbers for July, suggest that the euro-zone economy... 10th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German & Spanish Ind. Prod./ German & French Trade (Jul.) Data for July revealing falls in German and Spanish industrial production and a deterioration of Germany and France’s trade balances support our view that the eurozone’s economic recovery will be very... 6th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What can we glean from regional unemployment data in the euro-zone? Unlike in Germany, regional labour market data from elsewhere in the euro-zone do not give much of a steer on the likely near-term paths of local office market vacancy rates. However, they do suggest... 6th September 2013 · 1 min read