Europe Economics Weekly No fiscal boost in 2020, Brexit deal on a knife edge Euro-zone governments have promised a fiscal stimulus in 2020, but we doubt that they will live up to their promises. Meanwhile, we expect the ECB to leave policy settings unchanged on Thursday at Mr... 18th October 2019 · 7 mins read
Europe Economic Outlook Euro-zone close to recession Economic growth has slowed to a crawl and is likely to remain anaemic until well into next year, even in the absence of a fresh external shock. Germany is probably in a recession already and we think... 15th October 2019 · 30 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (Aug.) August’s small rise in euro-zone industrial production is nowhere near enough to offset the previous two months’ declines, and so output in Q3 as a whole is likely to have fallen sharply. This... 14th October 2019 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Divisions at the ECB won’t prevent further easing The national industrial data released this week suggest that euro-zone production rose in August. But this looks like a blip not a turning point. With growth set to slow and inflation remain subdued... 11th October 2019 · 5 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB account acknowledges divisions in the Council Given how much has been said (and leaked) about the ECB’s 12th September meeting, there was little scope for fresh revelations in today’s account. But the report is consistent with our view that more... 10th October 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Slowing to a crawl There have been one or two positive signs in the past week or so, such as the increase in German industrial production in August. But the overall picture remains gloomy. Indeed, at face value the... 8th October 2019 · 11 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly US-EU aircraft dispute increases trade war risks The latest data suggest that euro-zone growth will continue to slow, and the WTO’s decision to grant the US permission to raise tariffs on the EU increases the risk that the bloc is drawn into the... 4th October 2019 · 5 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Retail Sales (Aug.) & Final PMIs (Sep.) The downward revision to September’s euro-zone PMI leaves it consistent with zero growth at the end of Q3, as the contraction in Germany’s economy appears to have accelerated and spread to the... 3rd October 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB to increase corporate bond purchases next year We think that the ECB will increase its monthly bond-buying next year by purchasing more corporate debt. This would lead to a marked pick-up in bond issuance, but only a small increase in investment. 2nd October 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Unemployment (Aug.) Euro-zone employment growth looks set to slow over the rest of this year, and remain subdued in 2020. So we expect wage growth to weaken too, eventually prompting the ECB to loosen policy again. 30th September 2019 · 2 mins read
Europe Data Response EC Business and Consumer Survey (Sep.) The renewed fall in the euro-zone Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) adds to the evidence that the region’s economy slowed further in Q3. For now, the weakness is concentrated in the manufacturing... 27th September 2019 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone economy to slow, forcing ECB to do more We are cutting our forecast for euro-zone GDP growth in 2020 and expect inflation to stay close to 1%. Moreover, we think the ECB will revise its inflation target in the coming months, then cut its... 24th September 2019 · 5 mins read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (Sep.) September’s fall in the euro-zone Composite PMI supports our view that economic growth in the currency union has slowed in Q3. And with no sign that core inflation is rising, and the ECB’s latest... 23rd September 2019 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Other euro-zone governments unlikely to go Dutch The announcement of a sizeable fiscal stimulus by the Netherlands is unlikely to be repeated by other euro-zone governments, disappointing the ECB’s hopes that fiscal policy will provide much more... 20th September 2019 · 6 mins read
Europe Economics Update TLTROs won’t turn the economy around The surprisingly low uptake of the ECB’s TLTROs today was probably a one-off, and uptake in December is likely to be stronger. But even if it is, we doubt that this will provide much of a boost to the... 19th September 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update French industry looks resilient to German slowdown We expect French industrial production growth to slow in the coming year or so. But it should continue to outperform German industry thanks to its focus on less cyclical products such as food, energy... 18th September 2019 · 3 mins read
