Displaying items by tag: EU

(Berlin)

American investors keep hearing the same warnings—Europe is slowing, and the malaise is coming for you! But in truth, how bad is the German, and EU economy really looking? The answer is that it is doing quite badly. The manufacturing sector has entered a recession in Germany (the bloc’s largest economy), and the central bank says the country is likely to enter a recession in the third quarter. A big test is going to come this week as numerous consumer data points will be released.

FINSUM: If the gloom has spread to consumers, a recession would appear to be inevitable. The market has sky-high expectations for ECB easing, so let’s hope they are met!

(Berlin)

The future of the EU is an open question, and one that seems to be growing bleaker once again. Much of the cultural mood that preceded Brexit is now taking hold in Germany. German media is angry at the ECB about robbing its savers of income with very low or negative interest rates. News outlets refer to the “expropriation” of German assets (a term with huge historical resonance). Altogether, the German people are angry about their wealth funding the rest of an EU they see as squandering it.

FINSUM: Germany has benefitted disproportionately from the Euro as it keeps their currency artificially weak. Yet it is also true that hard working Germans have been subsidizing the irresponsible finances of southern Europeans for years. It seems a way off, but Germany could be the next EU domino.

(Brussels)

We thought it would be good to add a little European flavor to today’s coverage. The Financial Times has written a very insightful piece about the EU and the effect Brexit has had on it. In particular, it cites Donald Tusk, one of the EU’s top policymakers, who says that Brexit has been a “vaccine” against anti-EU parties across the continent. “As Europeans see what Brexit means in practice they also draw conclusions … vaccine against anti-EU propaganda and fake news”.

FINSUM: The EU has seen what Brexit has done to quell any anti-EU sentiment within the Union, which means it will never let off the gas pedal in making Britain’s departure a hellish ordeal.

(New York)

The ECB put out research today making an argument that we hadn’t heard very much—that any trade war would hurt the US most of all. According to the ECB, “if Donald Trump’s administration was to raise tariffs and other barriers on imports by another 10 per cent — and other countries were to retaliate — growth would drop more sharply in the US than in either the euro area or China” (quoted from FT). The ECB found that one year of heightened trade tensions could knock 2% off US GDP.

FINSUM: The analysis of the actual economic impact may be credible, but the ECB is totally missing the point about the China. The risk for them is not just economic, but social and political—because they have an unelected government, officials there are under extreme pressure to keep the people happy with economic growth.

(London)

The journey of Brexit has been long, winding, and utterly confusing at times. However, it is all headed for a dramatic conclusion. PM May has called for a Parliamentary vote on her plan on March 12, just a couple of weeks before the UK is supposed to formally depart the EU. However, the pushback on the left has been so strong that opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn now looks poised to call for a second referendum on EU membership. He announced the position yesterday, marking a major change in position.

FINSUM: We absolutely dismiss the view that holding a second referendum is “undemocratic”. The vote was almost three years ago now and no one could have foreseen the deal Britain might get, so it only makes sense to have another vote.