Europe Commercial Property Update What will lower Bund yields mean for property? Recent cuts to our Bund yield forecasts reflect our view that the euro-zone economy will struggle to gain traction over the next year or two. Yet, on balance, by creating the scope for property yields... 2nd December 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Flash CPI & Unemployment (Nov.) November’s fall in German inflation to a five-year low highlights the absence of price pressures in even the strongest parts of the euro-zone. And while German unemployment remains very low, this... 27th November 2014 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Are Bunds the new JGBs? While we are still not convinced that the euro-zone is the new Japan, despite the many similarities in their economic predicaments, we are increasingly of the view that the 10-year Bund yield will... 25th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German GDP (Q3) & French Business Confidence (Nov.) The second release of Q3 German GDP confirmed that the economy expanded by a meagre 0.1%. The breakdown offered some hope, with consumer spending and exports rising strongly, but surveys suggest that... 25th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Nov.) November’s rise in the German Ifo survey is a relief after the fall in the PMI and leaves the key surveys painting a somewhat mixed picture. But both point to slow growth at best, which will do little... 24th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly ECB divisions point to half-hearted QE The objections of German Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann to the prospect of an ECB quantitative easing programme including government bond purchases are unlikely to prevent such a programme being... 21st November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German ZEW Survey (Nov.) November’s rise in German ZEW investor sentiment came as a modest relief after the recent gloomy news on the euro-zone. But the index has not been very reliable in the past and it remains consistent... 18th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone GDP (Q3 Prov.) The small expansion in the euro-zone economy in Q3 has not diminished the need for both the European Central Bank (ECB) and national governments to respond to the persistent risk of deflation in the... 14th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German & French GDP (Q3) Q3’s near stagnation of the German economy confirmed that economic weakness has spread to the core of the single currency area. While France performed marginally better, it seems that the euro-zone... 14th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update German office occupier market stronger than take-up data suggest There are a number of reasons to think that the German office occupier market is stronger than third quarter take-up data suggest. And, with vacancy rates low and the majority of upcoming developments... 7th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German & French Industrial Production (Sep.) September’s disappointing rebound in German industrial production increased the risks that both the German and euro-zone economies contracted in Q3 and added to the pressure on the ECB and German... 7th November 2014 · 1 min read
Emerging Europe Economics Focus 25 years on from the “Fall of the Wall” The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the start of the transition from central planning to market-based economies in Central and Eastern Europe, which in turn paved the way for a sharp rise in prosperity... 6th November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Oct.) All peripheral economies narrowed their budget deficits in September but France and Italy submitted draft budgets that flouted EU fiscal rules. 3rd November 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Banking sector recovery still appears fragile Last week’s bank stress test results, September’s lending data and the ECB’s latest Bank Lending Survey all suggested that conditions in the euro-zone’s banking sector are, on the whole, improving... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey (Oct.) October’s EC Business and Consumer Survey suggests that the euro-zone economy got off to a weak start in Q4, after broadly stagnating in Q3. 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response German Ifo Survey (Oct.) October’s fall in Ifo business sentiment was a blow to hopes that the German recovery should resume at the end of the year and will add to pressure on the Government there to consider a fiscal boost. 27th October 2014 · 1 min read
