Europe Economic Outlook Recovery prospects clouded by Greece Recent indicators have brought signs of a renewed recovery in the euro-zone economy, reflecting the beneficial effects of lower oil prices and the decline in the euro exchange rate. But the picture... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Flash CPI (Mar.) March’s rise in German HICP inflation will add to hopes that recent price declines were a temporary phenomenon that will have positive effects on the economy. But with core inflation still very low... 31st March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Euro-zone consumers look ready to start spending Buoyed by falling unemployment, rising equity prices and a boost to their spending power from a lower oil price, euro-zone consumers have become increasingly confident, with the EC’s measure of... 27th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Mar.) March’s rise in the German Ifo index provided further evidence that the recovery in the euro-zone’s largest economy continued in Q1 as firms shrugged off fears over Greece and the weaker euro started... 25th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will QE provide a boost to Frankfurt office occupier demand? The ECB’s QE programme will be a modest boon for some financial firms. And it should help to sustain the recent rise in financial sector confidence. In turn, that should feed through into occupier... 19th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW (Mar.) & Euro-zone Employment (Q4) March’s modest rise in the ZEW investor sentiment index suggests that hopes for the German economy have been tempered by worries over the effects of the Greek crisis. 17th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is German wage growth finally taking off? The latest data on German wage growth suggest that pay is finally beginning to respond to the long labour market recovery. With deflation offering a further boost to real wage growth, we expect the... 11th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German & Spanish Industrial Production (Jan.) January’s industrial production data suggest that Germany and Spain made a reasonable start to 2015, although there are few signs that the drop in the euro exchange rate is prompting a strong recovery... 6th March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Feb.) After consolidating their fiscal positions in 2014, the peripheral economies had a mixed start to 2015. Ireland and Italy both fared comparatively well but Portugal and Greece struggled. 3rd March 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German, Italian & Spanish Flash CPI (Feb.) February’s energy-related increases in inflation in Germany, Spain and Italy did little to reduce the threat of a prolonged bout of deflation in future. Headline rates remain either extremely low or... 27th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Feb.) February’s smaller-than-expected rise in the German Ifo index may be an early sign that businesses are worried about the wider effects of the Greek crisis. 23rd February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW (Feb.) February’s further improvement in ZEW investor sentiment provided some reassurance that confidence in the German economy is holding up despite the ongoing turmoil in Greece. But this could prove short... 17th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Time is running out for Greece The failure of the Eurogroup last week to agree even on steps for further discussions on Greece does not bode well for the emergence of a full solution at Monday’s meeting. This could prompt nerves... 13th February 2015 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Update Czech Rep: Euro-zone clouds outlook, policy to be eased further Renewed weakness in Germany and the crisis in Russia will weigh on the Czech Republic’s key export sector in the coming quarters. However, the conditions are in place for domestic demand to strengthen... 10th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Grexit risks rising Several developments last week arguably brought Greece closer to exiting the euro-zone than it has ever been. While the Government appeared to give ground on its demands for debt restructuring, its... 6th February 2015 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Jan.) The latest fiscal data suggest that the peripheral economies continued to strengthen their budget positions at the end of last year. But many look set to have missed their 2014 targets and Greece’s... 6th February 2015 · 1 min read