The Corner | April 8,2015 | German factory output disappoints as fears of slowdown in the U.S and China hit exporters in Europe’s largest economy despite the weakened state of the euro. Elsewhere, retail sales are expected to contract in the euro area having shown gains since the final months of 2014.
MADRID | March 27, 2015 | By Francisco López | The Spanish economy is currently growing at cruising speed and looks set to remain at its current altitude in the medium term, with the possibility that growth could exceed 3% this year.
The Corner | March 25, 2015 | EU data appears to show that the currency bloc is finally on the way to recovery. Figures from Spain today are likely to confirm the country’s improvement, but concerns remain about the predicament of the Greek economy.
The Corner | March 23, 2015 | Mario Draghi’s speech will be in focus as traders seek further information on the effect the ECB’s QE programme is having. This week is likely to see strong growth figures posted in the US, while inflation in the eurozone will continue to languish. Greece will again be under the microscope on international markets, as direct talks between leader Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel finally get under way.
LONDON | March 18, 2015 | By Víctor Jiménez | The effects of QE have already begun to reverberate through the arteries of Europe’s financial heart in the City of London. Indeed, there is a tsunami of money flooding the market, corporate bonds sub-investment market. That below triple B ratings market is the ‘acid test’: the ECB’s bet has been dragging down the price of investors and asset managers’ portfolios, who are desperate to find substantial interest rates and return to positive territory.
The Corner | March 18, 2015 | What does negative bond yields mean psychologically for investors?
MADRID | By Francisco López | March 16, 2015 | Some opportunities are not to be missed. The Spanish Treasury’s first auction since the ECB launched its sovereign bond-buying program saw yields fall to their lowest levels in history.
The Corner | March 11, 2015 | The euro sinked to 12-year lows on Wednesday due to the ECB’s money printing –which is pushing yields down (German 30-year government bonds are now lower than those on U.S. two-year paper), and increasing expectations of a rates hike on the other side of the Atlantic. ECB’s Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny insisted that negative bond yields in the euro area probably won’t remain for long.
The Corner | March 9, 2015 | Peripheral bonds hit minimum lows on Monday as the ECB and the 19 national central banks started the much-awaited sovereign puchases on Monday. Short-term eurozone interest rates are expected to move deeper into negative territory as the QE unfolds. “This programme will mean a safety net for the eurozone equities and bond markets. However, we might see some corrections,” experts at Link Securities commented. Liquidity injected in the system “will first push bond prices up, but almost simultaneously will move towards equities,” Bankinter analysts noted.
The Corner | March 5, 2015 | Whatever it takes, don’t miss the mechanics of the European Central Bank’s next purchase programme starting on Monday.