A no-deal Brexit could cause the UK’s digital sector to shrink August 28, 2020 The EU’s trade negotiator Michel Barnier recently said that a post-Brexit deal seemed unlikely. This supports our view at Securys that the Brexit transition period will close without an adequacy agreement, bringing an end to the unrestricted flow of data between the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA). Buried in a weekend article came [...]
From the modern Babylon to the city of canals: Eurostar goes to Amsterdam August 26, 2020 From October this year, passengers will be able to take the Eurostar from St Pancras right into the heart of Amsterdam, the great Gothic Revival Station Centraal on Stationsplein. It’s an eye-catching headline, and one which conjures up images of connectivity, of grand continental train journeys, comfort, ease and relaxation. It’s true that the London-Amsterdam [...]
Eurozone unemployment rate rises less than expected in May July 2, 2020 The unemployment rate in the eurozone rose less than expected in May, indicating that government measures to protect jobs within the bloc have been successful. While the eurozone’s unemployment rate hit a four-month high of 7.4 per cent, new data from Eurostat showed, economists had expected the rate to rise to 7.7 per cent. Read [...]
Eurozone manufacturing downturn eased in June as lockdowns loosened July 1, 2020 The downturn in eurozone manufacturing was not as bad as initially thought in June after many countries in the bloc eased lockdown restrictions. IHS Markit’s final manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reading for the bloc moved closer to the 50-mark separating growth from contraction last month, coming in at 47.4. The reading marks a significant [...]
Eurozone inflation defies expectations with rise as economies re-open June 30, 2020 Eurozone inflation rose in June after hitting a four-year low in May as economies across the bloc began to re-open following lockdowns. Consumer prices in the bloc rose 0.3 per cent in June month-on-month, defying economists’ expectations that they would remain flat as the negative impact of low energy prices decreased. The European Union’s statistics [...]
German inflation beats expectations for June as services costs rise June 29, 2020 Inflation in Germany rose more than expected in June, partly due to higher prices charged by services having to enforce strict hygiene standards as the country eased its coronavirus lockdown. EU-harmonised German consumer prices rose 0.8 per cent this month compared to a year earlier, and 0.7 per cent compared to May’s figure. Economists had [...]
Eurozone economic confidence continues recovery in June June 29, 2020 Economic sentiment in the eurozone continued to recover in June following a modest pick-up in May, with improvements recorded across all sectors. Overall sentiment rose to 75.7 points in June from 67.5 in May, still short of market expectations of 80.0 and well below the average of 100 since 2000, new European Commission data showed. [...]
ECB chief economist: Don’t get too excited by solid eurozone data June 24, 2020 Solid data may not be a good guide to how the eurozone is recovering from its deepest economic crisis in recent memory, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) chief economist said. Having suffered a historic drop in output in April, the bloc’s economy is starting to revive as some restrictions to limit the spread of the [...]
German economy to contract more sharply in second quarter than first, warns ministry June 15, 2020 The German economy will contract more in the second quarter than in the first, the country’s economic ministry said, warning that the recovery in the second half of 2020 would be sluggish. Europe’s largest economy went into lockdown in March, with many shops closing and factories halting production in a bid to limit the spread [...]
Eurozone investor morale improves as bloc ‘wakes from deep sleep’ June 8, 2020 Investor sentiment in the eurozone has risen this month and an assessment of investor expectations hit its highest level since November 2017, according to a new survey. Sentix’s index for the euro zone rose to -24.8 from -41.8 in May, compared with the Reuters consensus forecast for a reading of -22.5. The research firm’s current [...]