Europe Economics Update Spanish house prices still have much further to fall There is little sign that the Spanish housing downturn will come to an end any time soon. Not only does this spell bad news for households, it will also pile even more pressure on the troubled banks. 22nd July 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Is the Spanish labour market really on the mend? Some commentators have pointed to the recent run of encouraging Spanish unemployment figures as evidence that the green shoots of recovery may be emerging there. But we are far from convinced that the... 16th July 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Is it possible that Spanish property is now a good bet? Improvements in Spanish economic sentiment suggest that the recession has eased in the second quarter. Given that there is plenty of headroom for Spanish office and industrial capital values to rise... 20th June 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone GDP (Q1) Q1’s flash euro-zone GDP estimate confirmed that while the euro-zone economy performed rather better in Q1 than Q4, it remained in recession. 15th May 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update RICS survey too optimistic about Spanish investment market The sharp rise in Spanish commercial property investment demand reported in Q1’s RICS Global Commercial Property Survey could reflect anticipation that capital values are now close to a floor. But... 30th April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Would deflation lead the periphery into a debt trap? If the peripheral euro-zone economies regained competitiveness via outright deflation, their public and private sector debt levels would spiral higher as a share of GDP, prompting disaster. 30th April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook The crisis continues Recent events in Italy, Cyprus and Portugal have put a dent in hopes that the three-year crisis in the euro-zone is finally drawing to a close. Meanwhile, previous tentative signs that the broader... 10th April 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Mar.) Italy and Spain missed their 2012 deficit targets by a small margin and timelier data point to further likely slippage in the initial stages of this year. 27th March 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Why are office rents more volatile in Madrid than Barcelona? In each of the previous two cycles, office rents rose much further in Madrid than Barcelona. But there is nothing to suggest that structural features of the Madrid market lie behind the more volatile... 7th March 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Spain may still be the first to need OMTs While the euro-zone spotlight has recently switched to Italy, the latest economic news from Spain suggests that it might still be first to require the support of the ECB’s bond-buying programme. 28th February 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update What scope for a virtuous circle? While the improvement in financial market sentiment seen over recent months should have some beneficial effects on the euro-zone’s troubled economies, hopes that a “virtuous circle” will bring an end... 23rd January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Spanish GDP (Q4 est.) The 0.6% contraction in Spanish GDP in Q4 last year serves as a timely reminder that, while market pressures on the country have abated in response to the ECB’s promised intervention, the underlying... 23rd January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Spanish industrial rents: manufacturing to fall further behind logistics Steeper falls in manufacturing output than in consumer spending in Spain help to explain the recent underperformance of Spanish manufacturing property rents relative to the logistics sector. And if we... 17th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Euro-zone recession to deepen in 2013 While the lull in the euro-zone debt crisis has continued in recent months, the news on the region’s economy has remained distinctly downbeat. Despite some improvement towards the end of last year... 9th January 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus How would exiting countries fare outside the euro-zone? Contrary to some suggestions, there are good reasons to think that, beyond the initial economic andfinancial disruption caused by an exit from the euro-zone, most of the current peripheral... 3rd December 2012 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Will core market property yields be immune to the downturn? Outside the peripheral markets, the economic downturn in the euro-zone has yet to have a material impact on commercial property values. Yet if the recession deepens as we anticipate, the next six... 27th November 2012 · 1 min read
