Europe Commercial Property Outlook No boom, but better times to come The economic outlook for the euro-zone has brightened since our previous Analyst, prompting us to increase our forecasts for commercial property capital values and total returns. Indeed, our less... 28th August 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Respite from French recession, but recovery hopes overblown Q2’s 0.5% quarterly rise in French GDP, which was the strongest in over two years, has prompted optimism that the economy has finally joined Germany on a path to solid growth. But while we have... 15th August 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will Hollande reverse the trend in French unemployment? Time is running short for President François Hollande to fulfil his vow to reverse the trend of rising French unemployment by the end of 2013. Despite the recent improvement in the business surveys... 6th August 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update When will office rents in Milan and Paris turn the corner? In contrast to most euro-zone markets, the downturn in Milan and Paris office rental values was extended in the second quarter. The comparatively high level of rents in each market, the rising trend... 30th July 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update French logistics market to hold up better than office or retail The post-credit crunch underperformance by logistics capital values in France relative to the office and retail sectors may leave scope for a period of outperformance. Yet this morning’s business... 25th June 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Ind. Production (Apr.)/ Italian GDP (Q1) Italian GDP figures for Q1 confirmed that the economy remained in a broad-based recession and April’s fall in industrial production pointed to another contraction in Q2. Thankfully, French industrial... 10th June 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update French wealth tax adds to fears for economy The news that some wealthy French households were taxed over 100% of their income last year has added to criticism of President François Hollande’s policies. But the bigger point is that rising... 20th May 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone GDP (Q1) Q1’s flash euro-zone GDP estimate confirmed that while the euro-zone economy performed rather better in Q1 than Q4, it remained in recession. 15th May 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French Industrial Production & Trade (Mar.) March’s French industrial production and trade data suggest that the economic situation is not quite as bad as the surveys might have you believe. Nonetheless, it seems very likely that France... 7th May 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Apr.) April’s euro-zone PMI survey provided another clear sign that a sustained economic recovery in the region is still some way off. 23rd April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus GOEF crisis enters new phase Looming deadlines for stricken German open-ended funds to complete their liquidation processes – or hand over remaining assets to their respective custodian banks – mean that the supply of property... 22nd April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook The crisis continues Recent events in Italy, Cyprus and Portugal have put a dent in hopes that the three-year crisis in the euro-zone is finally drawing to a close. Meanwhile, previous tentative signs that the broader... 10th April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update French commercial property outlook darkens The latest survey evidence suggests that the French recession deepened in the first quarter. For now, while low economic sentiment seems to be dampening growth in French real estate equity prices... 4th April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Italian GDP (Q4), French Ind. Prod. & German Trade (Jan.) On balance, the latest batch of hard economic data from the euro-zone’s three largest economies makes fairly grim reading and casts further doubt on the view that the region as whole has begun to grow... 11th March 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus French slump to deepen fiscal fears The French economy is set to fall further behind others in the euro-zone as labour market rigidity holds back competitiveness and household spending is hit by fiscal austerity. This might cause France... 4th March 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Mariodona’s words won’t be enough Mario Draghi halted the rise of the euro last week merely by hinting that the ECB might respond to the currency’s strength. But with other central banks taking action to weaken their currencies, we... 11th February 2013 · 1 min read