Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Bond market jitters; SNB cracks open the champagne We suspect that Swedish and Swiss government bond yields will come down again before long given the strong relationship with Bunds and the prospect of the ECB stepping in. However, our hawkish view... 26th February 2021 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Rising yields put pressure on ECB The surge in euro-zone government bond yields this week has ruffled the feathers of the doves at the ECB, who are keen to look through short-term upward forces on inflation. The still-high number of... 26th February 2021 · 8 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Rising bond yields, resilient manufacturing We doubt that the increase in sovereign bond yields this week is the beginning of sustained rise in borrowing costs, even if the headline inflation rate rises further. Meanwhile, we are looking... 19th February 2021 · 6 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Norges Bank to hike first; look out for off-colour mink We now forecast the Norges Bank to be the first advanced central bank to begin raising interest rates, in the second half of this year. This will provide a further fillip to the NOK, which we expect... 19th February 2021 · 6 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Divisions to test compromises at the Riksbank While the Riksbank presented a united front at its meeting this week, we suspect that differences in opinion amongst Board members on how to proceed with the asset purchase programme will become more... 12th February 2021 · 7 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Don’t get carried away with Draghi Italy’s government of national unity looks set to have a hefty majority, making it more stable and putting it in a better position to pass fiscal measures and reforms. But we wouldn’t get carried away... 12th February 2021 · 8 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly The return of Super Mario Mario Draghi is looking increasingly set to become the next Italian prime minister, leading Italy's recovery from the pandemic. That is likely to entail more fiscal stimulus, but structural reforms... 5th February 2021 · 5 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Swedish resilience, Swiss reluctance The latest data show that the Swedish economy is proving more resilient to virus containment measures than we had feared, giving the Riksbank some breathing room ahead of next week’s meeting. Having... 5th February 2021 · 7 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Poor start to vaccine rollout poses risks to recovery A decline in GDP in Q1 now seems highly likely, but the bigger concern is that slow vaccination programmes and concerns about virus variants may delay the lifting of restrictions in Q2 and beyond... 29th January 2021 · 8 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Swiss economy in for a tough few months This week's data support our view that the Swiss economic recovery has shifted into reverse this quarter. Meanwhile, next week’s data are likely to show that Sweden’s economy expanded relatively... 29th January 2021 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Inflation to stay much lower in euro-zone than US Data published this week confirmed that inflation is extremely weak in the euro-zone, and we expect it to remain well below target in the coming years even as inflation rises above 2% in the US. Next... 22nd January 2021 · 8 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Slow vaccine rollout key risk to the outlook In a quiet week for data, the Norges Bank left its key policy rate at a record low of zero, where we suspect it will stay until at least 2023. Meanwhile, we think the extension of some virus measures... 22nd January 2021 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Virus data cloud Q1 outlook, Italian politics in turmoil While the economic data published this week were fairly encouraging about the euro-zone’s performance at the end of last year, the deterioration in the virus situation and associated tougher measures... 15th January 2021 · 6 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly Rate cut more likely than not in Denmark Another week another set of data which add to the signs that Norway’s and Sweden’s economies ended Q4 on a decent note and outperformed even the best-performing major euro-zone economies in 2020... 15th January 2021 · 4 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Weekly In store for a bumpy start to 2021 The gloomy backdrop of rising virus cases casts a dark shadow over Q1. However, we expect the rollout of vaccines will pave the way to a rebound in economic activity in May/June, and that Nordic... 8th January 2021 · 6 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Fast-spreading virus, slow vaccinations The economy withstood the second lockdowns comparatively well in November and December. But rising virus numbers and the painfully slow start to the vaccination rollout mean that the region is... 8th January 2021 · 5 mins read
