Europe Economics Update French political turmoil adds to near-term economic risks The latest anti-austerity backlash from within the French Government, together with supportive comments from the ECB, offer hope that the euro-zone’s fiscal straightjacket could be loosened in future... 26th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB finally facing facts President Draghi’s comments at Jackson Hole supported our long-held view that the ECB will take theplunge into full-blown quantitative easing, probably around the turn of the year. 26th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Norwegian GDP (Q2) Q2’s sharp rise in Norwegian GDP made imminent policy action by the Norges Bank look very unlikely. But we still expect the Bank to cut interest rates next year as the krone strengthens further and... 21st August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Sedlabanki hints that rate hikes will soon be needed Iceland’s central bank kept its main interest rate unchanged at 6% at its meeting today but hintedstrongly that rates will need to rise soon. We continue to think that the Sedlabanki will raise... 20th August 2014 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Sedlabanki hints that rate hikes will soon be needed Iceland’s central bank kept its main interest rate unchanged at 6% at its meeting today but hinted strongly that rates will need to rise soon. We continue to think that the Sedlabanki will raise the... 20th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Stronger data to delay Norges Bank rate cut Recent Norwegian economic data suggest that a September rate cut is less likely than we hadpreviously thought. But we still think the Norges Bank will cut its key policy rate, currently at 1.5%,by the... 19th August 2014 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Stronger data to delay Norges Bank rate cut Recent Norwegian economic data suggest that a September rate cut is less likely than we had previously thought. But we still think the Norges Bank will cut its key policy rate, currently at 1.5%, by... 19th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB has too much faith in long-term inflation expectations The key remaining barrier to bolder ECB policy support seems to be the Governing Council’s viewthat long-term inflation expectations are “well-anchored”. We have doubts over the usefulness ofsuch... 18th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How worried should we be about Germany? The decline in German GDP in Q2 is not as alarming as it might appear given that it was causedpartly by temporary factors. But while the economy should return to growth in Q3 and beyond, itseems clear... 14th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB inching towards QE The ECB gave no strong hints of imminent policy action this month as it waited to judge the effects ofpreviously announced measures and claimed that long-term inflation expectations were wellanchored... 7th August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Jul.) Although progress remains slow in many countries, the latest euro-zone fiscal data provided moreevidence that peripheral governments are gradually strengthening their fiscal positions. 1st August 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Sanctions on Russia a further blow to Finnish economy Finland’s close economic ties with neighbouring Russia mean that the EU’s stiffer sanctions on Russia announced yesterday are likely to deal another blow to the Finnish economy. Even if the direct... 30th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro’s fall provides glimmer of hope, but more needed The euro finally appears to be succumbing to the downward pressure implied by the divergentprospects for monetary policy in the US and euro-zone. But bigger declines are likely to be needed tokick... 30th July 2014 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Sanctions on Russia a further blow to Finnish economy Finland’s close economic ties with neighbouring Russia mean that the EU’s stiffer sanctions on Russia announced yesterday are likely to deal another blow to the Finnish economy. Even if the direct... 30th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Sanctions on Russia pose limited threat to Germany The likelihood that the EU will impose stiffer sanctions on Russia has raised concerns about the effecton German exports and the wider economy. But while certain companies rely strongly on trade... 28th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Could the euro-zone mimic the UK’s recovery? On the face of it, the UK’s impressive economic recovery offers significant hope to the euro-zone. Butwe think that still high levels of debt and a relatively timid monetary policy response will... 25th July 2014 · 1 min read