Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Fossil-like Norway won’t go the way of the dinosaurs The UN’s annual climate change conference, COP26, will not have any discernible impact on Norway’s intention to keep pumping oil and gas over the coming decades. The irony is that Norway’s success in... 10th November 2021 · 13 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Riksbank to take a chance on “QT” next year Housing market valuations in Sweden are even more stretched than on past occasions when the Riksbank has “leant against the wind” – that is, set policy tighter than needed to contain consumer price... 1st September 2021 · 17 mins read
Europe Economics Focus Key lessons from Sweden’s Covid response Sweden’s unique response to the pandemic means that it has acted as a control experiment for economists and epidemiologists alike. We suspect that its economy would have shrunk by an additional 3-4%... 12th August 2020 · 18 mins read
Global Economics Focus Lasting blow to supply capacity is not inevitable It is by no means inevitable that the coronavirus crisis puts a big permanent hole in the supply capacity of economies (i.e. their ability to produce goods and services). With the right government... 29th June 2020 · 28 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus The lessons from negative interest rates so far There is little evidence that negative interest rates have succeeded in boosting economic growth or inflation expectations. But equally, they do not seem to have done much harm either – many of the... 9th December 2019 · 14 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Switzerland’s 778 billion franc question The acquisition of reserve assets by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) has seen it take on a role more suited to fund managers than central bankers. Faced with the prospect of negative bond yields further... 21st August 2019 · 18 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus SNB to cut interest rates further into negative territory If the ECB re-starts QE next year, as we think is likely, the resulting upward pressure on the Swiss franc would stoke deflationary fears at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and prompt a policy response... 8th May 2019 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Swiss pivot towards Asia reduces reliance on euro-zone The Swiss economy will not be immune to weak growth in the euro-zone over the coming years, but rising demand from Asia and the increased importance of sectors that are relatively insensitive to the... 4th April 2019 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus No end in sight to “lowflation” in Switzerland After almost five years of deflation, consumer prices are finally rising in Switzerland. But much of this has reflected higher energy costs, while underlying price pressures are still very weak. We... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Iceland: What went right and what might go wrong? Icelandic growth is set to hold up well with tourism booming despite the strength of the króna and with the financial imbalances that caused the previous crisis largely resolved. But inflation is a... 21st February 2018 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Will housing bubbles prompt early rate hikes? Macro-prudential policies to cool the housing markets in Switzerland and Norway will allow their central banks to keep monetary policy loose, boosting inflation from its current low rates. By contrast... 12th December 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus “Overvalued” Swiss franc may rise further While conventional metrics give some support to the Swiss National Bank’s view that the franc is “significantly overvalued”, the evidence from the economy implies that it is not. What’s more, we think... 13th April 2017 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Riksbank will have to tighten policy next year Swedish inflation is set to rise sharply over the next year. As such, the Riksbank’s intention to loosen monetary policy further seems like a mistake and any additional interest rate cuts will have to... 22nd November 2016 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Will lower oil prices end Norway’s long boom? Norway has been one of the strongest growing economies of the developed world over the last decade. But with households buckling under high debt burdens and lower oil prices set to exacerbate the... 20th November 2014 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Finland set to lag behind Nordic neighbours Finland’s dismal post-crisis economic performance is at odds with the ongoing recoveries of its Nordic neighbours. Although these countries share many characteristics, Finland’s economic decline has... 25th September 2014 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Is Sweden the Nordic Japan? Fears that Sweden might be about to enter a Japanese-style “lost decade” of deflation and stagnation are not entirely without foundation. But we think that Sweden should be able to avoid such an... 2nd July 2014 · 1 min read
