- EZ inflation is running red hot, hitting a record high of 4.9% in November.
- Shipping costs to the Eurozone's most important trading partners are still rising...
- ...Still, the fall in global measures points to shipping costs dragging headline inflation down.
Claus Vistesen and Melanie DebonoEurozone
- The Q4 survey data in France have been robust so far, pointing to solid underlying GDP growth…
- …But the return of the virus threatens new restrictions, putting Christmas festivities in question.
- We're reducing our forecast for Q4 quarteron-quarter GDP growth, by 0.6pp, to 0.6%.
Claus Vistesen and Melanie DebonoEurozone
- The green energy transition can be modelled as a sustained inflationary supply shock to the economy.
- In the extreme case, a rise in oil and gas prices could lift EZ inflation by 0.5pp between now and 2026.
- The price of CO2 emissions is rising; it could lift EZ inflation significantly over the next few years.
Claus Vistesen and Melanie DebonoEurozone
- GDP growth in Germany stalled at the end of Q3, and the rebound in early Q4 looks tepid.
- Growth in France is now slowing, but momentum at the end of Q3 was encouragingly robust.
- Industrial production in Spain rose modestly in September, not enough to salvage Q3 as a whole.
Claus Vistesen and Melanie DebonoEurozone
- The composite PMIs are still consistent with robust GDP growth, but risks are stacked to the downside.
- If the PMIs are right, demand is now falling to match fixed supply; that means slower GDP growth.
- We look for another soft IFO today, but next week's consumer sentiment data should be more resilient.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- Euro area energy inflation will rise further in Q4, but we think the core rate has peaked.
- Risks are tilted towards persistently high core and headline inflation in the next 12 months…
- …But that doesn't justify the leap in Eurozone rate expectations in the past few weeks.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- EZ imports are still outpacing exports by a hand- some margin; further downside for net trade in Q4?
- The EZ trade deficits with Asia and China are widening, this could sting Q4 GDP growth.
- Headline inflation in France is still rising, but the national core rate seems to have peaked.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- German core inflation is still rising; we think it will hit 3%-plus in Q4, before easing in January.
- Electricity inflation in Spain is still rocketing, threatening consumer's real incomes and industry.
- Core inflation in Spain is now back at its pre-virus rate; should we be looking for an overshoot now?
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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
Talking about a green energy transition in Europe
is easy, but more often than not, actions fall short of promises, for political reasons.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
Friday's detailed inflation data in the EZ conformed
to expectations. Headline inflation dipped by 0.1pp, to 1.9%, matching the initial estimate, while core inflation fell to 0.9%, from 1.0% in May, also in line with the first estimate.
Claus Vistesen (Chief Eurozone Economist)Eurozone
