Climate Economics Update Looming supply crunch supports EU carbon prices Although European natural gas prices will still influence EU carbon prices in the near-term, investors’ recent optimism suggests that expectations for a tighter carbon market down the line are... 28th January 2025 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update The end is in sight for the Riksbank We think that next week the Riksbank will cut its policy rate for the final time this cycle, reducing it from 2.5% to 2.25%. After that, we do not see a need for policymakers to loosen policy any... 24th January 2025 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Update Norges Bank prepares the ground for rate cuts Today’s policy announcement confirms that Norges Bank is likely to start cutting interest rates at its meeting in March, almost certainly with a 25bp reduction to 4.25%. We think it will then loosen... 23rd January 2025 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone services disinflation will resume in 2025 Services inflation in the euro-zone was stuck around 4% last year but we remain convinced that it will decline significantly in 2025. 17th January 2025 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Norges Bank set for gradual loosening cycle December’s weaker-than-expected inflation outturn won’t sway Norges Bank: we still expect it to wait until March to start cutting interest rates. We suspect that it will then lower rates gradually... 16th January 2025 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update CDU Agenda 2030 won’t turn Germany around The CDU’s economic policy agenda, released today, clearly recognises the scale of Germany’s economic challenges and proposes some sensible policies to address them. But some of the measures are not... 10th January 2025 · 6 mins read
Europe Economics Update Will the “periphery” continue to outperform? The outperformance of the peripheral economies since early 2022 is likely to continue over the next year, supported by high immigration, tourism growth and Next Generation EU funding. That said... 9th January 2025 · 4 mins read
Global Economics Update What do we mean by geopolitical blocs? The Cold War was defined by geopolitical blocs – the Soviet or Eastern bloc against the Western bloc. Geopolitics retreated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The period from the early-1990s to... 7th January 2025 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update A primer on the Alternative für Deutschland The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has attracted attention recently because of its strong opinion poll ratings and endorsement by Elon Musk. The party has no plausible route to power after February... 3rd January 2025 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Update What to expect from next week’s data Next week will be a busy one for data releases in Europe. We think that the data will underline that core price pressures are continuing to ease gradually in the euro-zone, while economic growth... 3rd January 2025 · 3 mins read
Commodities Update Russia-Ukraine gas transit stop is not a game changer The termination of European imports of pipeline natural gas from Russia via Ukraine will only increase the EU’s dependence on imports of LNG and ensure that energy prices there remain much higher than... 2nd January 2025 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Norges Bank and Riksbank divergence continues The Riksbank’s decision to cut its policy rate by 25bp to 2.5% was widely anticipated and we expect it to cut just one last time next year, by 25bp in March. In contrast, Norges Bank left its policy... 19th December 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Underlying price pressures continue to ease Underlying inflation remains high but is on a downward trend and we expect it to fall much further next year. This should prompt the ECB to cut interest rates a bit further than investors anticipate. 18th December 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update One step at a time for the Riksbank Next Thursday, we expect the Riksbank to reduce its policy rate from 2.75% to 2.5% as it closes in on the end of its loosening cycle. In contrast, we think Norges Bank will leave its policy rate... 12th December 2024 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Update Tide gradually turning at the ECB Today’s ECB policy statement and press conference suggest that policymakers are increasingly confident of meeting their inflation goal and increasingly conscious of downside risks to the economy. We... 12th December 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone growth outlook remains poor Data released today show that euro-zone household consumption rose strongly in Q3. But slowing real income growth means that we expect spending growth to be subdued in the coming quarters. Meanwhile... 6th December 2024 · 4 mins read