Europe

Looking through the latest round of EU GDP data, one thing is becoming increasingly obvious: when it comes to future monetary policy decisions at the ECB, and to exactly how many more interest rate hikes we are going to see, then the…

When the pejorative acronym PIGS was first created, it was supposed to be a moniker for the southern European states (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain). However, Italy has done much better than housing-crisis stricken Ireland and so…

The dollar is stronger across the board as periphery strains and soft data weigh on euro This week US data is likely to remain mixed and limit euro’s slide; China’s flash PMI moderates Our sovereign ratings model suggests that the…

Here are some thoughts regarding the late Friday cut in outlook to negative for Italy’s A+ rating by S&P. While we remain negative on the ratings for peripheral euro zone, we don't think a downgrade of Italy by S&P is clearly…

The change of power on the regional level is important in Spain because of their relative fiscal autonomy. Regions control spending on health care and education and account for half of government employees. They have an outstanding debt of…

Greece and Ireland appear to have lost an important political ally with the sidelining of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as both plead for more financial assistance from European partners to avoid an early restructuring of debt. The key word is…

With markets now contemplating some sort of debt “re-profiling” by Greece, we thought it would be helpful to summarize the two most recent major debt restructurings by an EM borrower for some guidance on what such a move could imply for…

The European finance ministers approved an aid package for Portugal. Ireland is still seeking better terms. Although France's effective corporate tax rate is lower than Ireland's, Sarkozy is reportedly refusing to sanction some easier terms…

The policy response to the European debt crisis is critical and that response is function of European politics. There have been a number of developments in European politics that investors should be aware of.

The dollar on its front foot amid concerns over Greek debt woes and global growth worries. Ecofin meeting (15:00 GMT) to discuss Greece and finalize aid package for Portugal; EUR/USD tests recent lows near $1.405. Equities/commodities…