ING Economic and Financial Analysis

Still defying increased external uncertainties, the labor market remains the stronghold of the German economy.German unemployment dropped by 32,900 in February (not seasonally adjusted), bringing the...

It's central bank frenzy next week, but don't expect any changes to monetary policy. Plus, we get a new set of macroeconomic forecasts from Poland as well as inflation data from Hungary, Turkey and...

Next week's US data should be fairly decent, and we'll be listening out for any details on a potential US/China trade deal that could lift some of the gloom surrounding the global economy. Meanwhile,...

Subdued inflation in Germany leaves the ECB slightly baffled, supporting the case to buy more time, but defintely good news for consumers.According to the just-released first estimate based on the...

French consumer confidence bounced back in February, from 92 to 95 - the highest level seen since October. However, purchasing intentions are reacting slower than saving intentions and we expect...

Subdued inflation in Germany leaves the ECB slightly baffled, supporting the case to buy more time, but good news for consumers.By Carsten Brzeski, Chief Economist ING Germany According to the...

The US economy slowed by less than feared in 4Q18 with investment picking up some of the slack. With the government shutdown over and a better backdrop regarding financial markets and trade, we...

Confidence indicators are still falling but there is some bottoming out in sight. With that in mind, the ECB next week will have to balance between pre-emptive action, which could be perceived as...

China's manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI continued to fall in February. Unless the trade war truly turns into an extended truce, the weakening trend may not end quickly. As such we expect...

According to Statistics Netherlands, world trade growth slowed in 2018 to 3.3% compared to 4.7% growth in 2017. Is the trade war to blame?By Timme Spakman, Economist, International Trade...

GDP components provide interesting insights: the German economy is in a better shape than its current reputation suggests.Headlines such as “Germany at the brink of a recession” remain the...

Still falling. Germany's most prominent leading indicator, the Ifo index, dropped for a sixth consecutive month and came in at 98.5 in February, from 99.3 in January. The drop was driven by both...

Taiwan's export orders continue to shrink. And it's not because of the trade conflict. A lack of creativity in new smart device models suggests the outlook for exports won't get better anytime...

The minutes of the January meeting illustrate the European Central Bank's increasing concern. However, encouraging confidence indicators should prevent the central bank from twitching at the March...

Reports are emerging that the U.S. and China will agree on the need for a stable yuan as part of its trade deal. For China, this looks to be consistent with current FX policy. For the U.S., the aim of...

There still is hope but not a lot. A rising ZEW index, combined with a still falling current assessment component, suggest the pessimism will end, eventuallyA mixed start to the week for economic data...