Chief Economist's Note Don’t panic about inflation – and other learnings from an information flurry The past few weeks have brought a flurry of data and speeches from central bankers. What have we learned about the health of the global economy and the outlook for monetary policy? It’s important not... 22nd April 2024
Europe Economics Update Will worries about the euro stop the ECB from cutting? Movements in the exchange rate tend to have only a small impact on euro-zone inflation. So while the euro might weaken if monetary policy in the euro-zone and US were to diverge, we think it would... 19th April 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Oil and gas price spikes not likely to stop ECB cuts We think the risk of a large and sustained rise in energy prices is low so we remain happy with our forecast that the ECB will cut rates by 125bp this year. If energy prices were to jump very sharply... 19th April 2024 · 6 mins read
Europe Economics Focus German manufacturing: from growth driver to drag Germany’s manufacturing sector has been in relative decline since around 2017. We think it will continue to shrink in the coming years and expect productivity growth in the sector to remain relatively... 18th April 2024 · 8 mins read
Europe Economics Update Is Belgium’s public debt a cause for concern? We think it is most likely that future governments bring down Belgium’s budget deficit sufficiently to put its debt on a sustainable trajectory. However, the risks are that the deficit is higher than... 17th April 2024 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update Early Easter boosted inflation only slightly in March The detailed breakdown of March’s euro-zone HICP data, released this morning, show that the early timing of Easter boosted services inflation by 0.1ppts. This effect was smaller than in previous years... 17th April 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Focus ECB rate cuts: when, how fast, and how far? The ECB looks set to cut rates in June, reducing the deposit rate from 4% to 3.75%, and we think it will follow that up with rate reductions at every remaining meeting this year. The pace of cuts... 16th April 2024 · 23 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Expect subpar rental performance in Germany While rental performance in German commercial property markets has been relatively solid given the country’s poor economic performance over the past five or so years, we think this is set to end. 16th April 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Rapid Response Euro-zone Industrial Production (February 2024) Euro-zone industrial production rose in January, but the level of output is still weak and the outlook is poor. 15th April 2024 · 2 mins read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro weakness won’t stop the ECB, Italy fiscal worries The ECB gave a strong signal this week that it will cut rates in June. A later start to the Fed’s easing cycle or further weakness in the euro are unlikely to deter it. Meanwhile, Italy’s latest... 12th April 2024 · 7 mins read
Capital Daily Dovish ECB supports our view that Bund yields will fall back Today’s ECB policy announcement and press conference support our forecast for a June rate cut. Given that we expect more rate cuts than the money market discounts, we think that Bund yields will fall... 11th April 2024 · 5 mins read
FX Markets Update Assessing the scope for further euro weakness The euro has fallen sharply against the greenback this week, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it weakens a bit further in the short term. That said, we think a fall below parity in the EUR/USD rate is... 11th April 2024 · 4 mins read
Europe Economics Update ECB to cut by 100bp this year The ECB’s decision to update its guidance suggests that an interest rate cut at the next meeting in June is very likely. Christine Lagarde would understandably not commit to a path of rate cuts, but... 11th April 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Answering questions from our recent Drop-In This week we held a Drop-In on the outlook for euro-zone commercial property. Clients can access a recording here. This Update provides answers to the most interesting questions that emerged from the... 11th April 2024 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Italy’s public finances still a cause for concern After a period of relative calm, Italy’s fragile public finances are likely to come under the spotlight again before long. Budget deficits will be much higher than the latest government projections... 10th April 2024 · 4 mins read
