Nordic & Swiss Economics Update New (higher) forecast for Swedish GDP There are increasing signs that the Swedish economy has weathered the crisis better than we first feared. Accordingly, we now expect GDP to contract by ‘only’ 2.5% this year (previously -7.5%). 16th June 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Decline in Italian unemployment will soon reverse As the crisis in Italy escalated, record numbers of disillusioned jobseekers dropped out of the labour force, causing the unemployment rate to fall. Now that the lockdown is being lifted and activity... 9th June 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB meets high expectations for now The ECB’s decision to increase the size and duration of the PEPP should sustain the positive sentiment towards the euro-zone in the near term and reinforce the sense that, for now, European... 4th June 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Weak external demand to weigh on recoveries Disruption to supply chains and depressed demand mean that euro-zone goods exports will slump this year, hitting open economies such as the Netherlands and Germany the most. But the hit to services... 3rd June 2020 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Breakdown of ECB bond purchases reassuring The ECB has been purchasing a disproportionate share of Italian government bonds, but they are less heavily skewed towards Italy than we had anticipated. This in turn means that there may be less risk... 2nd June 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB needs to keep an eye on inflation expectations Inflation expectations are not always a good leading indicator of inflation. However, the decline in most measures of inflation expectations in the past two months may be a cause for concern at the... 1st June 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Monetary Indicators Monitor (Apr.) Bank lending to firms jumped again in April, suggesting that government loan guarantees and cheap ECB funding for banks are having the desired effects. But the central bank’s work is far from done. We... 29th May 2020 · 4 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Sweden comparatively well placed, but not unscathed While Sweden’s economy has fared better than the worst-affected countries, as a result of its comparatively light-touch lockdown, it is still set for a year to forget. We expect the decline in GDP... 28th May 2020 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Some thoughts on the lasting damage from the crisis The euro-zone is not suffering from excessive leverage among banks and households, or slow and counter-productive responses from policymakers, which held back its recovery from the last two crises... 28th May 2020 · 6 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update EC fiscal proposal provides the SNB some respite The prospect of a joint European fiscal response has helped to ease upward pressure on the Swiss franc and means that there is light at the end of the tunnel for the SNB following its recent bout of... 28th May 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update EC fiscal plan significant but leaves ECB a lot to do The EC fiscal proposal confirms that Europe’s fiscal response will be large enough to help to ease concerns about how the current crisis will be financed. But the details are yet to be finalised, and... 27th May 2020 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Post-lockdown lessons from Denmark Economic activity in Denmark appears to have clawed back about one-third of its virus-related fall since the government started to ease restrictions in mid-April, with activity probably about 7.5%... 21st May 2020 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB could own 40% of Italian gov’t bonds by year end We think that the ECB could end this year owning 40% or more of the government bond markets in Italy, Spain and Greece. That would help to cap bond yields this year, but it could create serious legal... 19th May 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update What to make of the Franco-German fiscal proposal The €500bn EU joint fiscal package suggested by France and Germany would be a significant move towards fiscal union. However, the benefit to the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis... 19th May 2020 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Five key questions about short-time work schemes Wage subsidy schemes in place throughout the euro-zone have so far been effective at preventing a surge in unemployment. In this Update, we answer five questions about how these schemes will evolve as... 14th May 2020 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update German Cash for Clunkers 2.0 won’t be a silver bullet Now that restrictions are being lifted, governments are inevitably facing calls to ensure that firms emerging from virus-imposed stasis have sufficient demand to stay open – not least in the German... 13th May 2020 · 3 mins read
