Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Icelandic rates on hold but more policy tightening to come Although Iceland’s central bank decided today to keep its key interest rates unchanged again, upward inflation pressures and domestic economic strength mean that rate hikes are likely later this year... 10th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Industrial Production & Trade (Dec.) December’s shockingly weak industrial production figures suggest the German economy barely grew in Q4 and pile further pressure on the ECB to match its dovish words with decisive action at its March... 9th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Portuguese Government struggling to resist austerity The European Commission made only minor concessions to the Portuguese Government over its 2016 Budget and the pace of fiscal consolidation will still be faster this year than last. This suggests that... 8th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Current account surplus will keep Danish krone strong Denmark’s large current account surplus should narrow in the coming years as the economic recovery there takes hold, but it will not disappear entirely. This will sustain the upward pressure on the... 8th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Jan.) The latest fiscal data suggest that the euro-zone’s peripheral economies generally improved theirbudgetary positions last year. But, with the exception of Ireland, their public debt is not yet falling... 8th February 2016 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Current account surplus will keep Danish krone strong Denmark’s large current account surplus should narrow in the coming years as the economic recovery there takes hold, but it will not disappear entirely. This will sustain the upward pressure on the... 8th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update How strong is the outlook for the logistics occupier market in France? Despite the relatively slow economic growth we expect to see in France in the coming years, structural changes in the retail and logistics markets mean that occupier demand for industrial property... 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Oil price falls will depress inflation for some time yet Euro-zone consumer price inflation looks likely to pick up later this year, driven by the fading direct effect of lower oil prices and the feed-through of previous falls in the euro to consumer prices... 5th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update The ECB is losing the global currency race Having succeeded in bringing the euro down sharply last year, the European Central Bank (ECB) has recently fallen behind in the race amongst global policymakers to weaken their currencies in order to... 4th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Flat retail rents in Spain are not a sign of things to come Retail rents in Madrid and Barcelona were flat in Q4. Yet the steady outlook for consumption, coupled with strong growth in tourism, suggests that rents will resume their upward trend this year. 4th February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Chart Pack A weak start to the year Hard data for the fourth quarter of last year, including GDP estimates for some countries and industrial production and retail sales figures for the region as a whole, suggest that euro-zone GDP... 3rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Should we worry about the Irish election? Given the political turbulence after recent elections in Spain and Portugal, there are some concerns about the potential outcome of the Irish election, now scheduled for just three weeks’ time. But... 3rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Dec.) & Final PMIs (Jan.) December’s euro-zone retail sales data suggest that the consumer sector lost some steam at the end of last year. And the final PMIs for January added to the evidence that the wider recovery had a slow... 3rd February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update RICS survey highlights overvaluation concerns in core markets The most notable development in the latest RICS Global Commercial Property surveys is the increase in the proportion of respondents who view property in the core European markets as expensive. Yet a... 2nd February 2016 · 1 min read
UK Economics Update EU draft deal leaves Brexit in the balance Today’s publication of a draft deal on the UK’s EU negotiations is another step towards a referendum as soon as June. The modest proposed reforms will probably leave the vote very close. If the UK did... 2nd February 2016 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update RICS survey highlights overvaluation concerns in core markets The most notable development in the latest RICS Global Commercial Property surveys is the increase in the proportion of respondents who view property in the core European markets as expensive. Yet a... 2nd February 2016 · 1 min read