Europe Economics Update Swedish Riksbank not ready to take the next step, yet Despite tentative signs of green shoots appearing, the Swedish Riksbank reduced interest rates to 0.25% and remains committed to keeping them at this rate for a prolonged period. But for now at least... 2nd July 2009 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swedish Riksbank not ready to take the next step, yet Despite tentative signs of green shoots appearing, the Swedish Riksbank reduced interest rates to 0.25% and remains committed to keeping them at this rate for a prolonged period. But for now at least... 2nd July 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Monetary Indicators Monitor (Jun.) The latest euro-zone money and credit figures revealed that, after having flattened off for some time, the monetary base increased again. The hope is that banks will feel encouraged to lend. But there... 30th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update No sign of Ireland’s hangover fading. Since the onset of the downturn, the Irish economy has contracted significantly more sharply than other deficit economies such as the US and UK. Unfortunately, Ireland’s troubles appear far from over... 30th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update German labour market shakeout is just beginning The German labour market held up relatively well at the start of the economic downturn, at least partly reflecting Government incentives for firms to retain workers for shorter hours. But the severity... 29th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update German fiscal rule is not as damaging as it seems The German Government’s recent introduction of a law requiring a balanced budget from 2016 has prompted much debate over just how harmful it might be. Our view is that, while the law might place... 24th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Swiss National Bank still pulling out all the stops The SNB’s pledge to go on purchasing large quantities of corporate bonds while providing generous liquidity to the banking sector and intervening ‘decisively’ in currency markets has left it among the... 18th June 2009 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Swiss National Bank still pulling out all the stops The SNB’s pledge to go on purchasing large quantities of corporate bonds while providing generous liquidity to the banking sector and intervening ‘decisively’ in currency markets has left it among the... 18th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Norwegian interest rates may have troughed Norway’s relatively mild downturn should ensure that the latest 25bp interest rate reduction by the Norges Bank is probably the last in the current cycle. But we still think that the Bank will not... 17th June 2009 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Norwegian interest rates may have troughed Norway’s relatively mild downturn should ensure that the latest 25bp interest rate reduction by the Norges Bank is probably the last in the current cycle. But we still think that the Bank will not... 17th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will the Spanish bank rescue package be enough? The announcement by the Spanish Government that it plans to set up a fund to provide capital to the ailing banking sector is certainly good news. But on its own, it will not be enough to prevent the... 16th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone bank losses: halfway through? In its latest Financial Stability Review, published yesterday afternoon, the ECB has taken a less gloomy view on the potential losses that euro-zone banks still have to face relative to a previous IMF... 16th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update The Baltics remain a weight on Sweden's shoulders Today’s announcement that the Swedish Riksbank is to borrow €3bn from the ECB confirms that, while the green shoots of recovery may be starting to emerge in parts of the global economy, the Baltic... 10th June 2009 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update The Baltics remain a weight on Sweden’s shoulders Today’s announcement that the Swedish Riksbank is to borrow €3bn from the ECB confirms that, while the green shoots of recovery may be starting to emerge in parts of the global economy, the Baltic... 10th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Risk appetite to fade as recovery disappoints Today we have revised our key economic forecasts. At the same time, we have updated our projections for currency, bond, equity and commodity markets. The new market numbers are presented in the table... 8th June 2009 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone prospects improve by less than elsewhere The recent upward revision to our forecasts for the US and UK economies has prompted only a modest increase in our euro-zone forecast given less convincing signs of a recovery so far and a... 8th June 2009 · 1 min read