Europe Economic Outlook As good as it gets? While the European economic recovery probably picked up a bit of speed in the second quarter of the year, there are growing signs that Q2 was as good as it is likely to get. Activity indicators in the... 8th July 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update PMIs highlight France’s stuttering recovery The French economy is probably faring a little better than June’s dreadful PMIs suggest. But more austerity and weak competitiveness mean that it will continue to weigh on the euro-zone’s recovery. 23rd June 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Yield compression to boost Paris industrial property values Paris industrial occupier conditions continue to be challenging. Yet the increasing need for modern stock could still drive rental growth. And, with increased investor appetite for logistics exposure... 12th June 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Ind. Production (Apr.)/ Italian GDP (Q1) Today’s Italian Q1 GDP breakdown and industrial production data suggested that the economy might return to growth in Q2. But France’s latest industrial production figures show that the recovery there... 10th June 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly France's recovery to be snail-paced France’s economy hasn’t picked up much steam since it stagnated in Q1. Although the outlook for the second half of the year is a little brighter, the recovery will remain pretty weak. The resulting... 26th May 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone Flash PMIs (May 14) May’s PMIs suggested that the euro-zone recovery remains lacklustre and highlighted the continued divergence between France and Germany. 22nd May 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly German engine can’t power euro-zone recovery While the German economy expanded by an impressive 0.8% in Q1, this failed to spur growth elsewhere in the euro-zone and the region's GDP rose by just 0.2%. Possible explanations for this are the fact... 19th May 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly The unhelpful divergence between France and Germany Data released last week suggested that the euro-zone recovery gained more traction at the start of Q2. But there remains a worrying divergence between France and Germany which risks holding back the... 28th April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Negative rates are no silver bullet on their own A negative interest rate on banks' excess reserves at the ECB might have some effect on banks' behaviour and at least prove that the ECB is prepared to follow its dovish words with action. But it must... 21st April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update France’s reform effort inches forward Although France’s short-term outlook remains weak, the new French Government’s recent policy announcements provide hope that France is slowly tackling its significant competitiveness problems. 16th April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Deflation dangers persist The recovery in the European economy appears to have picked up a bit of speed in the early months of 2014. The euro-zone now looks set to expand by 1% or more this year, a significant improvement on... 10th April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Is France resolving its problems? France is beginning to tackle its long-standing economic problems. Although a weak labour market and additional fiscal austerity will weigh on the economy this year, growth should pick up in 2015... 31st 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 Economics Update France gets to grips with its structural problems, slowly The new “responsibility pact” is a step forward for the French economy. Taken together with other planned measures, France is now slowly tackling some of its structural problems. 15th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Are investors starting to shun Paris? Perhaps unsurprisingly given the weak state of the French economy, the Ile-de-France office occupier downturn stepped up a notch in 2013. More notable, though, was the fall in the investment volume... 15th 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
