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
- A cold winter will turn rising gas prices into a macroeconomic issue; Q4 risks are tilted to the downside.
- Car sales in the Eurozone aren't going anywhere, mirroring the slump in production.
- The EV transition is underway in Europe, but lack of timely infrastructure investment is a challenge.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- EZ fiscal policy will tighten next year, but it will remain much more supportive than before Covid.
- EU grants will fund public expenditure to the tune of about 0.5% of GDP in 2022, mostly in the South.
- Public investment as a share of GDP was rising before the virus; we think this trend will continue.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The ECB will slow the pace of PEPP in Q4, probably by around €20B, to €60-€70B per month.
- Bond yields fell as Ms. Lagarde spoke, but will the ECB's decision on PEPP in Q4 satisfy markets?
- The German trade surplus snapped back in July, as imports plunged; more of the same is coming.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- The ECB will announce a slowdown in the pace of PEPP today, but markets likely won't flinch.
- The central bank's new forecasts will deliver upgrades to the outlook for growth and inflation.
- Trade data in France suggest that tourism is rebounding, but a full recovery is still a way off.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- German industrial output rebounded at the start of Q3, but the trend likely is still flat.
- Consumers' spending propelled the EZ economy in Q2; a full recovery in GDP is possible in Q3.
- We are lifting our full-year forecasts for 2021, but this is mostly book-keeping; growth is now slowing.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- In one line: More evidence that activity peaked midway through Q3
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- In one line: Decent, but probably not the beginning of a sustained upturn.
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
- Don't fret the July plunge in EZ retail sales; Q3 as a whole will be OK, and services will do even better.
- The risk of new virus restrictions remains low, de- spite the uptick in new cases since the end of Q2.
- Consumers' spending in services will deliver strong growth in Q3 in the major EZ economies.
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
- In one line: Swiss economy remains in a league of its own.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- EZ manufacturing output is still hampered by supply-side woes, but it's not all bad news.
- Unemployment in the EZ fell further at the start of Q3; we think the good news will keep coming.
- SPD's lead in the German polls is startling, but not yet a game-changer for the final outcome.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- EZ inflation is running hot, and it will rise further in Q4; will markets and the ECB flinch?
- German unemployment fell further midway through Q3, and further improvement is in store.
- Consumers' spending, ex-services, in France dipped in July, but Q3 as a whole will be decent.
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
- Banks went into the crisis in a relatively healthy state; much better than in 2007.
- The jump in emergency loans during Covid is un- likely to be destabilizing, even if some of it turns sour.
- Stress tests show that banks can handle a jump in NPLs, and foreign risks are generally limited.
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
