- German manufacturing crashed in Q3, due to weakness in autos; GDP growth downgrades ahead.
- Spanish industrial production fell again in August, but output in the auto sector rose strongly.
- EZ gas prices continue to climb, the risk to household income is rising, but hard to quantify.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- EZ inflation expectations don't predict inflation, but they're not entirely without value either.
- Industrial production in France rose again in August; Q3 as a whole likely was decent.
- We think the PMI surveys are underestimating actual GDP growth in Q3, especially in Spain.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- Inflation in Switzerland likely has peaked, keeping it lower than the headline HICP in the EZ...
- ...Currency effects will soon be a drag on headline inflation, to the SNB's dismay...
- ...Meanwhile, rising natural gas prices are no worry for the Swiss, and wage pressures are limited.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The Italian government's GDP growth forecast for next year looks too high to us.
- Spain's new ERTE scheme is the first of, probably many, Covid-led labour market reforms in the EZ.
- We continue to expect the EZ jobless rate to fall be- low most estimates of NAIRU by end-2023.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The IFO dipped again in September; it still points to solid growth, but Q4 risks are tilted to the downside.
- ISTAT's ESI eased again in September, but points to decent GDP growth in Italy in Q3...
- ...Growth in Italy will slow in Q4, but higher gas prices and/or an Evergrande default won't be to blame.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The message from the PMI: The reopening boom is over, and supply-side woes are hitting demand.
- We are adjusting our EZ GDP growth forecast for Q4 down a tad, to 0.7-to-0.8% quarter-on-quarter.
- No change from the SNB, as expected; Spain's Q2 GDP growth cut by more than half.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- In one line: Softening at the edges, but consistent with a solid Q3 GDP print, all the same.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
Core inflation in the Eurozone is rising, but it's difficult to say how quickly, given one-off distortions.
Is the ECB preparing markets for a lift to inflation forecasts in Q4? That could be a forecast error.
Construction in the euro area seems to be stagnat- ing; supply-side constraints are to blame, in part.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- Industry in the EZ seemingly got off to an OK start in Q3, but we doubt this is a turn in the trend.
- Italian output continues to shine, thanks to out-sized gains in less capital intensive industry...
- ...A correction may be on the way but strong business surveys mean that we remain optimistic.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The July jump in German factory orders was driven entirely by major transport equipment.
- Industrial production in Germany rebounded in July, but we still think the trend is sideways.
- Spain should grow faster than elsewhere in Q3 and perhaps even Q4, but will continue to lag its peers
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The Swiss economy had regained more of its Covid losses than the euro area as of Q2.
- We still expect it to complete its recovery in Q3, ahead of the EZ, and grow by 3.5% overall this year.
- The outperformance and incoming ECB PEPP taper will push up the CHF; a headache for the SNB.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- Core inflation in the euro area rocketed in August, but we doubt that markets will notice.
- PEPP tapering is coming, but the overall tenor of the ECB's communication remains as dovish as ever.
- The EZ survey data are now softening, but that won't matter for GDP in Q3; for Q4, however, it might.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The second Q2 GDP estimate for the EZ will confirm the advance report while we are away.
- Detailed GDP data in Germany will show that consumers' spending rocketed in Q2.
- We look for soft surveys for August, but we still think Q3 as a whole will be great for the EZ economy.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- VAT base effects in core goods were the main driver of the July leap in German inflation.
- The yawning gap between national and HICP services inflation will close soon; the latter will rebound.
- We now see clear evidence of a reopening bump in hospitality prices; will it be sustained?
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
The spread of the Delta variant seems to be slowing, at least in the Big Four EZ economies...
...But the threat of new variants looms, and booster shots elsewhere aren't providing promising signals.
We still think GDP growth in Q3 will be faster than Q2, but uncertainty is now rising for Q4.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
EZ bond yields have been dragged lower as investors have abandoned the reflation trade.
Idiosyncratic factors will weigh on bund yields in H2, but we still see room for a rise to -0.3-to-0.4% in Q4.
Energy imports, and goods demand from Eastern Europe, are weighing on Germany's trade surplus.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
German factory orders surged in June, more than reversing May's plunge ...
... But turnover data point to a weak end to Q2 for industry; we look for a 0.5% monthly fall in June.
French industry continued to tread water; even though car output rose for the first time this year.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
The PMIs confirm that the Q2 upturn in services continued at the start of the third quarter.
Data in France and Spain suggest that hospitality came roaring back in Q2; more to come in Q3.
EZ retail sales jumped by 3.4% in Q2; growth will slow in Q3, but should remain robust.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
We're raising our 2021 growth forecasts for France, mostly due to technicals linked to recent revisions.
We now think German GDP will rise by just 2.7% in 2021, but the carry-over into 2022 will be solid.
Our new Q3 forecasts are broadly in line with the consensus; all set for a spectacular quarter.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
Raft of Swiss data reaffirm our view that the economy is recovering quicker than the Eurozone.
The pick-up in Swiss inflation in July is nowhere near enough to set alarm bells off at the SNB...
... but a stronger franc all but cements the need for higher FX intervention.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
