Europe Economics Update ECB hikes and signals more to come The ECB raised its deposit rate to 3.5% today and President Lagarde all but promised another hike next month. Our baseline forecast remains that interest rates will peak in July and stay there until... 15th June 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Norges Bank to hike and signal higher peak We think the Norges Bank will follow through on its plan to raise its policy rate by 25bp next week, to 3.50%, although there is an outside chance of a 50bp hike. Either way, we think it will push its... 15th June 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update TLTRO redemptions to reduce banks’ liquidity More than €1trn of TLTROs will be redeemed over the next eighteen months, significantly reducing euro-zone banks’ liquidity and pushing up their funding costs as they adjust their balance sheets... 7th June 2023 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone construction set to weaken We think that the slump in demand for mortgages will more than offset the support from the high backlog of work and result in a sizeable contraction in euro-zone construction output in the coming... 30th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Bank lending to remain very weak April’s money and credit data suggest that the decline in bank deposits in recent months is due to rising interest rates rather than worries about the banks’ stability. Meanwhile, bank lending... 30th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Nordic labour markets remain tight The labour markets in Norway and Sweden remain very tight, in line with conditions in the euro-zone. This is likely to keep services inflation high over the coming months and encourage the Norges Bank... 26th May 2023 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update When will the ECB cut rates? History suggests that in the absence of a major financial shock, European central banks usually leave interest rates at their peak for a year or more. That’s consistent with our view that the ECB is... 24th May 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Weak external demand to weigh on exports National GDP data released so far suggest that euro-zone exports rose in Q1. However we suspect they will be more subdued in the coming quarters as a result of weak global growth. 22nd May 2023 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update How much will ECB tightening affect GDP? Our best guess is that the impact of monetary policy tightening on euro-zone economic activity will be less than five percent of GDP, which is the lower end of a range estimated in an ECB Economic... 18th May 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update EZ labour supply holding up relatively well The aggregate supply of labour in the euro-zone has recovered comparatively well from the pandemic, albeit with big differences between the major economies. But despite this, the labour market is very... 18th May 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Taking stock of the euro-zone’s exports After stalling at the end of last year export growth seems to have provided a boost to the euro-zone economy in the first quarter of 2023. However, we doubt that exports will be a major source of... 17th May 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Election clouds outlook for Greece Greece has arguably been the positive surprise in the euro-zone over the past few years and near-term prospects look good. However, the forthcoming election may usher in a coalition government which... 10th May 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Italian debt sustainability revisited Our central scenario is that Italy’s public debt-to-GDP ratio will decline gradually in the long-run. However, the government will need to maintain sizeable primary budget surpluses to make that... 5th May 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB slows the pace but the journey goes on The ECB’s decision to raise its deposit rate by 25bp to 3.25% was in line with market expectations. Meanwhile, President Lagarde’s repeated statement that the Bank is not pausing, and our view that... 4th May 2023 · 3 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update More Norges Bank rate hikes to come The Norges Bank raised its policy rate by 25bp today, to 3.25%, but unlike the Fed we think the tightening cycle in Norway has further to run. That said, we think that inflation will fall more quickly... 4th May 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Double jeopardy if you bank in Spain Over the past year, Spanish households have seen a bigger increase in their cost of borrowing than those of any other large euro-zone economy, but the increase in the interest paid on deposits has... 4th May 2023 · 3 mins read