Europe Economics Update Does Greece still need a weaker currency? Greece’s apparent improvement in competitiveness and recent economic recovery might suggest that it no longer requires a weaker currency and so would have little to gain from leaving the euro-zone... 11th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What can the Eurogroup do about Greece? Tomorrow’s meeting of euro-zone finance ministers (the “Eurogroup”) takes place against a background of extreme urgency to meet Greece’s near-term financing needs. While some solution appears possible... 10th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Can capital controls save Greece? The Greek Government may need to resort to capital controls to prevent the flow of deposits from its banks, particularly if the ECB withdraws access to central bank funding altogether. But once the... 9th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Turkey Ind. Prod. (Dec.) & Czech CPI (Jan.) The rebound in Turkish industrial production growth to 2.6% y/y in December provides an encouraging sign that the economy may have emerged from its recent slump. But even so, growth over Q4 as a whole... 9th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Jan.) The latest fiscal data suggest that the peripheral economies continued to strengthen their budget positions at the end of last year. But many look set to have missed their 2014 targets and Greece’s... 6th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Can GDP-linked bonds solve Greece’s debt problems? The proposed plan to exchange some of Greece’s current debts for bonds linked to the performance of the economy has some attractions. But we’re not convinced at this stage that it can make a material... 3rd February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek bank collapse would probably trigger “Grexit” The Greek banking sector is once again buckling under the weight of substantial deposit outflows and market concerns about the country’s future inside the euro-zone. There is a significant risk that... 3rd February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Dec.) December’s euro-zone monetary data showed that credit conditions continued to improve at the end of last year. But the recovery is still at an early stage, highlighting the need for the ECB’s latest... 29th January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Restructuring can’t transform Greece’s debt outlook Expectations that Greece’s fiscal problems can be addressed by a “restructuring” of its debts overlook the fact that most of the viable adjustments have already been made. Only a substantial write... 28th January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Rise of populist parties unlikely to end austerity Syriza’s victory in the Greek general election may increase the influence of anti-austerity parties elsewhere in the euro-zone, most notably Podemos in Spain. But resistance from Germany seems set to... 27th January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Syriza victory threatens to reignite crisis Syriza’s resounding victory in the Greek general election looks set to result in a protracted period of heightened uncertainty over Greece’s future inside the euro-zone and could threaten to reignite... 26th January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What to look for in Sunday’s Greek election In this Update, we outline some of the key points to look for in this Sunday’s crucial Greek election. While much is likely to depend on coalition negotiations early next week, we suspect that the... 23rd January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update QE meets expectations, but won’t work miracles The ECB’s much-anticipated quantitative easing programme appears to have met or even exceeded expectations in terms of size and shape. But we remain sceptical that it will revive the euro-zone economy... 22nd January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What to look for from the ECB today It would be one of the biggest shocks in recent monetary policy history if the European Central Bank (ECB) did not announce some form of quantitative easing (QE) today. But will it live up to... 22nd January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Danish central bank needs to do more to defend euro peg The viability of Denmark’s currency peg with the euro has been called into question following the Swiss National Bank’s decision to abandon its exchange rate ceiling. We think that the Danish peg will... 21st January 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Plan for NCBs to conduct QE will further limit its effects The proposed plan for national central banks to implement quantitative easing for the ECB has the benefit that these banks are best-placed to design an effective policy for their own economies. But... 21st January 2015 · 1 min read