Europe

Investment Publications Highlights: March 2015

European Economics: Core of the Matter Christel Aranda-Hassel, Mirco Bulega, Neville Hill, Sonali Punhani, and Giovanni Zanni, Credit Suisse, February 27, 2015 European inflation has consistently disappointed since mid-2013. Credit Suisse believes the Eurozone is not experiencing deflation given the decline in prices is not broad-based, inflation expectations are picking up, and the European Central Bank…

What Are the Investment Implications of the ECB’s New QE Program?

The European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) recently announced QE package—wherein the bank will buy €60 billion of public and private securities a month through at least September 2016—was widely anticipated, and as such much of the impact on markets had transpired long before Thursday. While the announcement does represent a watershed moment given the ECB is…

Are European Equities About to Suffer a Japan-Like Lost Decade?

Claims that Europe is becoming the next Japan have grown louder in recent months, after Eurozone GDP growth flat-lined in the second quarter and consumer prices increased just 0.4%, the lowest level in nearly five years. Clear parallels do exist between the current Eurozone macroeconomic environment and that which started to take shape in Japan…

Eurozone Lending: No Recovery in Sight

Given that credit creation is the raison d’être of modern central bankers, the fact that European bank lending remains anemic despite a plethora of new measures from the European Central Bank (ECB) seems to us substantial cause for concern. The ECB’s pronouncements and alphabet soup of new programs have been remarkably effective at bringing down…

Slowly But Surely: Investors Should Stay the Course on European Equities

We maintain our advice to overweight European equities and underweight European bonds Macro data in Europe are slowly improving, but growth outside the Eurozone has been much stronger; corporate profits have also been lackluster but growth and/or cheaper currencies would help. European equity valuations are reasonable and reflect these weaknesses; they are attractive relative to…

European Equities: Time to Focus on the Micro

European Equities: Time to Focus on the Micro European equities trade near a record historical discount to U.S. equities; potential for a turnaround in earnings and improving macro conditions further bolster the case for an overweight position. Europe has faded from the headlines in 2013 as Federal Reserve tapering, Abenomics in Japan, and a slowdown…