Global Markets Update Greece/Italy 10-yr spread will fall further in our view The yield of 10-year government bonds in Greece is now only slightly above that of 10-year government bonds in Italy. Given Italy’s comparatively poor growth and debt dynamics and greater political... 30th October 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Lift-off for Athens prime retail? We expect the upturn in consumer confidence in Greece this year to feed through to a pick-up in retail sales growth, supporting retailer demand in Athens. Coupled with further yield falls, Athens high... 18th October 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Greek debt sustainable but will remain “junk” Under any plausible growth scenario Greece’s credit rating is likely to remain well below investment grade over the coming years. Among other things, this means that Greek bonds will not be included... 4th September 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update New Democracy, same old problems New Democracy’s clear victory in Greece’s parliamentary elections yesterday will be welcomed by investors. But it will not be a game changer for the economy, not least because the government will... 8th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Europe Economics Update Next Greek government to inherit plenty of challenges The next Greek government, to be formed after a general election which is less than three weeks away, will inherit an economy that looks set to grow at a moderate pace in the near term. But it will... 18th June 2019 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Italy may soon be considered riskier than Greece The spread between the yields of 10-year government bonds in Greece and Italy has fallen sharply following the latest European Parliament elections. We now forecast that it will turn negative... 31st May 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Eight quick points about the European elections Projections of the results of the European elections confirm that pro-European parties will continue to have a clear majority in the European Parliament (EP) itself, so little will change at EU level... 27th May 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek recovery likely to lose pace The Greek economy looks set to expand at a modest pace this year. But next year, it will probably slow as investment continues to contract and the slowdown in the rest of the euro-zone weighs on... 13th March 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro-gloom, Brexit fears and Greek politics This week saw more evidence that the euro-zone economy has lost a lot of momentum. Meanwhile, the UK parliament rejected the EU Withdrawal Agreement, once again raising the spectre of a no deal Brexit... 18th January 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Missing the global tightening cycle The euro-zone should regain some momentum in the coming months, at least compared to its dire performance at the end of last year. But we think the economy will expand by just 1% in 2019 as a whole... 18th January 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What to expect from elections in Europe this year In a busy election calendar this year, the focus will be on the rise of populist and euro-sceptic parties. Elections for the European Parliament in May are the most high profile event, but there will... 17th January 2019 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly GDP growth slowing, but wage growth rising The latest data on economic activity in the euro-zone have been weak, but policymakers at the ECB will have been encouraged by the continued acceleration in wage growth. At its meeting on Thursday... 7th December 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Modest slowdown masks large divergences Prospects for Europe have deteriorated somewhat as slowing global demand has begun to affect exports and a sharp rise in bond yields has darkened the outlook for Italy. Some of the major players... 17th October 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Italy’s minor backtrack offers little reassurance The Italian Government’s fiscal projections, published this week, are based on overly-optimistic assumptions for GDP growth. We expect Italian bond yields to keep rising as the budgetary position... 5th October 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Why Italy is not the new Greece While Italy and Greece have some similarities, the fundamental cause of Italy’s problems is not fiscal laxity but consistently weak economic growth. So rather than resulting in a sudden crisis, as has... 3rd October 2018 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Greek budget highlights risk of fiscal slippage Greece’s draft budget for 2019 suggests that the country is taking its fiscal targets much more seriously than Italy. But a closer look at the proposed measures implies some fiscal slippage, which... 2nd October 2018 · 1 min read
