Market Updates: Eurozone Releases Series of Economic Events

The Euro is the second currency in focus before the release of BOE Monetary Policy. Here’s a quick update on releases:

German Industrial Production m/m – In December 2018, production in the industry was down by 0.4% from the previous month on a price, seasonally and calendar adjusted basis according to provisional data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The revised figure shows a decrease of 1.3% (primary -1.9%) from November 2018. In December 2018, production in industry excluding energy and construction was up by 0.2%.

Impact: Negative Impact on Euro

French Trade Balance – It shows a difference in value between imported and exported goods during the reported month. According to the data release from Ministry for the Economy and Finance, the french trade balance slipped to -4.7B vs. -4.1B previously.

Impact: Negative Impact on Euro

Italian Retail Sales m/m – In December 2018, both the value and the volume of retail trade fell by 0.7% when compared with the previous month. The yearly growth rate in terms of value drop by 0.6%, while the quantity sold decreased by 0.5%.

In the three months to December (Quarter 4), the value of retail trade edge higher by 0.1%, showing a slowdown to growth in comparison with the previous quarter (+0.4%), while the volume remained unchanged at +0.3%.

Impact: Negative Impact on Euro