MEPs pick Italian as new European parliament president July 3, 2019 The European parliament named an Italian social democrat as its new president today to complete a raft of new appointments to fill the highest-ranking roles in the EU. Read more: Meet the neighbours: Christine Lagarde set to front new-look EU leadership David Sassoli, 63, beat three German, Spanish and Czech candidates to the role, which [...]
Eurozone manufacturing falls to three-month low as downturn drags on July 1, 2019 The Eurozone’s manufacturing downturn continued throughout June as the sector fell to a three-month low, data released today revealed. The IHS Markit had the Eurozone manufacturing below the 50 no-change mark again as it contracted for a fifth-successive month with a PMI of 47.6, down from 47.7 in May. Read more: EU officials fail to [...]
Eurozone manufacturing sector shrinks for fourth straight month June 3, 2019 The Eurozone’s manufacturing downturn continued in May, according to survey data released today, with the sector contracting for the fourth successive month. Read more: Eurozone sees weak growth in May amid stagnant demand Weakness in Germany was once again a major drag on the overall Eurozone’s performance as it registered another marked contraction, today’s IHS [...]
The inflation target is just the start for the next ECB president May 30, 2019 With the EU elections out of the way, the horse-trading over a host of top EU jobs, including who replaces Mario Draghi as president of the European Central Bank (ECB), will ratchet up. By the European Council meeting on 20-21 June, a successor to Draghi should become clear. The new president’s most urgent task is [...]
ECB warns low growth could see Eurozone asset prices fall and borrowing costs rise May 29, 2019 Weak economic growth could cause euro area asset prices to fall and borrowing costs for indebted countries to rise, the European Central Bank (ECB) has today warned, posing a major threat to the zone’s financial stability. Read more: Eurozone sees weak growth in May amid stagnant demand The ECB’s May financial stability report comes during [...]
As Brexit rages, the European project unravels before our eyes May 28, 2019 While the London foreign policy commentariat obsesses over the pathetic soap opera that is Brexit, it almost entirely misses the obvious and strategically vital point next door: the European project is in irretrievable decline, becoming increasingly peripheral to any serious global geopolitical discussion. The just-concluded European elections, which have underlined the rise of populism and [...]
Sluggish economic growth to continue as demand for lending falls May 28, 2019 The UK economy’s sluggish growth shows no signs of letting up, with all three major lending classes set to grow less than two per cent this year, new figures have revealed. Despite an uptick in real incomes, demand for consumer credit is forecast to grow just 1.6 per cent this year and two per cent [...]
German manufacturing output falls but services push economy to growth May 23, 2019 Germany’s manufacturing output fell for the fourth month in a row in May as new orders fell, according to the latest IHS Markit survey of the country’s private sector. Read more: Eurozone sees weak growth in May amid stagnant demand May saw the third straight monthly decrease in employment in the manufacturing sector, making the overall [...]
Eurozone economy limps to weak growth in May amid stagnant demand, says survey May 23, 2019 The Eurozone saw subdued business growth in May as demand stagnated, with manufacturing facing the toughest conditions of any sector, according to a new survey. Read more: EU slashes its forecast for German growth as it predicts Eurozone slowdown New export orders fell markedly once again, their eighth successive monthly fall, according to today's widely-watched [...]
What will happen to the Eurozone when Mario Draghi steps down? May 20, 2019 Back in 2012, Mario Draghi committed to do “whatever it takes” to put the euro back on track. This influential statement brought the euro crisis to an end, and proved so powerful that precautions to safeguard the Eurozone, such as the Outright Monetary Transactions facility, did not need to be used. With Draghi’s term as [...]