Europe Commercial Property Update How long will Brussels retail rents remain on hold? An increased preference amongst occupiers for shopping centre space and a run-down of leasing incentives probably help to explain why headline shop rents in Brussels have now been flat for three years... 9th April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Belgian recovery unlikely to gather much more pace Although Belgium’s economy has returned to growth, the Government has made little progress in tackling the country’s underlying labour market problems. As a result, we doubt that the Belgian recovery... 20th March 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Is the office occupier market in Brussels about to turn a corner? The economic recovery, combined with improving business confidence, should help to boost occupier demand in Brussels this year. But with leasing incentives still generous and the economic recovery... 10th March 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Stars still aligned for more ECB support Despite last week's stronger than expected euro-zone inflation figures, the combination of still very weak price pressures, the strong euro and recent falls in liquidity in the banking sector still... 3rd March 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Central Europe – where are the prospects for industrial rents brightest? The recent surge in industrial confidence in Hungary increases the upside risks around our forecasts for industrial rental value growth. But after taking account of existing spare capacity, the... 5th February 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Belgian GDP (Q4) Today’s Q4 GDP figures indicate that the weak Belgian recovery is gradually taking hold, but we expect growth to remain unspectacular for a while yet. 29th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Deflation dangers cast shadow over recovery The European economy looks set for another year of weak growth in 2014, with the euro-zone likely to do little more than stagnate. Against that background, the European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to... 15th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly The pitfalls in the euro-zone’s road to recovery Although our forecast for euro-zone GDP growth in 2014 of 0.5% is now only a little more downbeat than the consensus estimate, there remain plenty of risks that could yet derail the region's recovery... 6th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Signs of growth convergence provide little comfort Q3's meagre rise in euro-zone GDP clearly was disappointing, but there were some signs that growth within the region is converging. The slowdown was largely down to weaker growth in Germany and France... 18th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Belgian GDP (Q3) Belgian GDP rose for the second straight quarter in Q3, suggesting that euro-zone GDP recorded another moderate expansion too. 30th October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Growth prospects improve, but crisis unresolved The European economy has shown further signs of recovery, with the euro-zone finally emerging from recession in the second quarter and other parts of the continent also faring better. But growth in... 8th October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What can we glean from regional unemployment data in the euro-zone? Unlike in Germany, regional labour market data from elsewhere in the euro-zone do not give much of a steer on the likely near-term paths of local office market vacancy rates. However, they do suggest... 6th September 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Outlook No boom, but better times to come The economic outlook for the euro-zone has brightened since our previous Analyst, prompting us to increase our forecasts for commercial property capital values and total returns. Indeed, our less... 28th August 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Could falls in Brussels office yields be sustained? The last few weeks have brought increased evidence that the Brussels office market is gaining popularity with national and international investors. For now, occupier market conditions remain pretty... 19th August 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Falls in Brussels office yields look unsustainable Preliminary data that show prime office yields in Brussels fell in Q2 are hard to square with the weak picture of underlying occupier demand. Given this, we would not be surprised if the fall in... 19th July 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update What is the outlook for Brussels retail property? The growing differential between office and retail yields in Brussels does not seem sustainable. But if, as we suspect, it primarily reflects investors’ views that retail has the best defensive... 5th June 2013 · 1 min read
