Europe Economics Update French consumer gloom set to lift The deterioration in French consumer morale suggests that household spending growth will remain fairly subdued in the next couple of quarters. But we doubt that this will last. The bright outlook for... 3rd July 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Tighter monetary policy on the way in Sweden The Riksbank looks very likely to raise interest rates in December. We think that the Bank will then raise interest rates more quickly in 2019 and 2020 than investors expect, causing the krona to... 3rd July 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will the ECB raise its interest rates in tandem? While most forecasters now agree with our long-held view that the first ECB rate hike will come in September 2019, there is no clear consensus over which rate will rise first or why. In this Update... 27th June 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Norway labour data bolster case for September rate hike Norway’s labour market recovery should continue to push up wage growth over the coming years. But with wage expectations still quite low, wage growth will probably rise only slowly, so the Norges Bank... 27th June 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How hard could car tariffs hit the euro-zone? President Trump’s threat to retaliate to EU tariffs with a 20% tax on EU car exports sounds alarming. In fact, the direct effect on the euro-zone would be smaller than you might think, perhaps... 26th June 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update How big a problem for Italy are rising yields? We think that Italy’s bond yields will rise more quickly than most expect. But as long as the Government waters down its fiscal plans, and is committed to the euro, its interest costs should remain... 25th June 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Krone to weaken despite Norges Bank tightening Today’s policy announcement by the Norges Bank shows that it is on the brink of raising interest rates. But once it has started, it will tighten policy only very slowly. And because we forecast oil... 21st June 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update SNB sticks to its dovish script amid political concerns Despite the ECB calling time on its asset purchase programme last week, the Swiss National Bank today left its monetary policy stance unchanged and cited worries about franc strength, political... 21st June 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek deal essentially a restatement of old fudges The Eurogroup seems set to agree the payment of Greece’s final loan tranche tomorrow and to offer a cash buffer to help it through the early months after it exits its bailout in August. But mooted... 20th June 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Could the ECB still hike if the Fed started cutting? We expect the ECB to start raising interest rates in September 2019, not long before we judge that the US Fed will start to cut. Such divergence between the two central banks would be almost... 18th June 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update ECB strikes dovish tone as asset purchases set to end The ECB announced today that its asset purchase programme will end in December. But its other communications reinforced our long-held view that interest rates will not rise until at least September... 14th June 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Central Bank of Iceland on hold but rate rises coming The Central Bank of Iceland left policy unchanged today and reiterated that a tight monetary policy stance is still needed, given the strong economy and pressures in the labour market. We think that... 13th June 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What will happen to Italy’s TARGET2 liabilities? Although Italy is likely to stay in the euro-zone for the foreseeable future, recent political developments have resurrected the possibility of it leaving at some point and raised the issue of how... 7th June 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Is Italy a worry for Switzerland and the Nordics? Political turmoil in Italy has rocked Swiss and Nordic financial markets over the past few weeks, but the economic fallout is likely to remain limited. That said, if the situation in Italy worsens... 5th June 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Italy turmoil boosts Swiss franc and government bonds The recent political turmoil in Italy gave the Swiss franc and Nordic & Swiss government bonds a boost at the end of May as investors sought safe havens. Stronger exchange rates weighed on equities in... 31st May 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will turmoil in Italy spark contagion? The fallout from the latest political turmoil in Italy has so far been contained, with limited impact on other euro-zone countries’ financial markets. There are good reasons to expect this to remain... 30th May 2018 · 1 min read
