Europe Economics Weekly ECB sitting stubbornly on the sidelines The latest speech by Governing Council member Axel Weber has highlighted the growing divergence between the ECB and more pro-active central banks elsewhere. We hope that the Bank might yet take bolder... 18th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Trade (Aug.) & CPI (Final, Sep.) August’s euro-zone trade figures suggest that the region is coping with slowing global demand pretty well for now. But with the euro appearing increasingly likely to be a major loser in any global... 15th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (Aug.) August’s healthy rise in euro-zone industrial production will help to ease concerns that the recovery in the sector is grinding to a halt. 13th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly How much will the strong euro hurt? The euro’s rise to a nine-month high against the US dollar last week suggests that the euro-zone has lost what may turn out to be the opening skirmishes of a global currency war. If the euro remained... 11th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB not yet ready to increase its support The ECB maintained a fairly dovish tone today, pledging continued support for commercial banks and possibly more peripheral government bond purchases. But there was little to suggest that the Bank... 7th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Outlook Income returns hold the key for the next two years (Q4 10) We suspect that euro-zone commercial property yields may fall a little further by the end of this year. However, the bulk of the investment market recovery may well be behind us. Subdued economic... 6th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Ireland: Closure or Calamity? The Irish Government deserves some credit for coming clean last week on the “horrendous” costs of its banking support measures, although its openness may have been dictated as much by public... 4th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (Aug.) Euro-zone unemployment figures for August showed further signs of improvement in labour market conditions in some core economies but unemployment continued to rise in the peripheral economies. 1st October 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch ECB in danger of slipping behind The euro-zone economy as a whole might be faring better than others for now, but strains in the region’s periphery have continued to mount. The ECB will provide reassurance after its forthcoming... 30th September 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash CPI & German Unemployment (Sep.) September’s rise in euro-zone CPI inflation probably reflected energy and food effects, while underlying price pressures remain very weak. 30th September 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will the euro-zone be the biggest loser in a currency war? If the world is about to engage in a currency war, the euro-zone’s arsenal looks poorly stocked. 29th September 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey (Sep.) September’s improvement in the EC business and consumer survey comes as a relief after recent weaker news on the euro-zone. But the survey still points to much slower growth in Q3 than in Q2. 29th September 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update EC sanctions won’t cure the euro-zone’s imbalances Proposed EC sanctions for euro-zone countries with high public debt, large current account deficits or housing market bubbles are being sold as a key step towards rebalancing and hence strengthening... 28th September 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Sep.) The further rise in euro-zone annual broad money and credit growth is certainly an encouraging sign. But given the very low starting point and the fact that many peripheral banks are still struggling... 27th September 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Markets' concerns about the periphery spiral higher Last week was another rollercoaster ride for the euro-zone’s periphery. Disappointing Irish and Portuguese data provided a timely reminder of the task that both governments face to put their public... 27th September 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Sep.) September’s plunge in the euro-zone PMI is the strongest sign yet that the eurozone recovery is rapidly losing momentum and that parts of the region may already have fallen back into recession. 23rd September 2010 · 1 min read
