Based in Paris, BNP Paribas' Economic Research Department is composed of economists and statisticians:
The Economic Research department’s mission is to cater to the economic research needs of the clients, business lines and functions of BNP Paribas. Our team of economists and statisticians covers a large number of advanced, developing and emerging countries, the real economy, financial markets and banking. As we foster the sharing of our research output with anyone who is interested in the economic situation or who needs insight into specific economic issues, this website presents our analysis, videos and podcasts.
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The unprecedented economic contraction in H1 2020 raises serious doubts about the upcoming recovery. Although the reopening phase has proceeded smoothly so far, the recovery in employment was very small in June. Tourism remains under the threat of a resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemics in Europe. The swelling public deficit will force Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to design a tight recovery package that balances between short-term emergency measures and long-term investments. This difficult equilibrium is likely to heighten the tensions in the governing coalition between Podemos and the socialist party. Subsidies allocated as part of the European Recovery Plan would give Spain some fiscal leeway, but the final terms and amount of the funds are yet to be finalised.
Despite successfully managing the Covid-19 pandemic, Greece will not avoid a severe recession in 2020. The tourism industry – which accounts for nearly 20% of the country’s GDP – offers no guarantee for a solid recovery. The prospect of a resurgence in contamination in Europe will weigh on the tourism sector in the coming months. The Greek banking system will further weaken, and public debt will rise sharply. That said, the European Central Bank (ECB) has launched the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) in March, which allows the ECB to purchase Greek sovereign debt. This has kept a lid on sovereign rates. This difficult context may entice the government to draw a recovery plan that targets strategic sectors less linked to the tourism industry.
The barometer for Spain has begun to improve with the introduction of post-lockdown data, but it continues to fluctuate around historically-low averages [...]
The European Commission has recently published the 2020 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). DESI is a weighted average of five indicators: connectivity, citizens’ digital skills, use of internet, integration of digital technology in businesses, and digital public services. Scandinavian countries perform the best, with Finland, Sweden and Denmark at the top of the ranking. Italy is only 25th, while France (16th), Germany (12th) and Spain (11th) are close to the EU average. The Covid-19 crisis and the lockdown have led to a greater use of digital technology
Industrial output and retail sales both plunged in April – by 19.1% and 10.5%, respectively on a month-on-month basis. Furthermore, the latest labour market figures show a misleadingly decline in the unemployment rate of 6.3% in April. Indeed, this was due to a record contraction in the labour force; employment also fell sharply...
The Covid-19 crisis will leave its mark on the economy. However, the decade ahead offers new prospects for growth and employment. Spain suffers from a lack of employment and investment in technology-related sectors, but has opportunities to close these gaps. The renewable energy sector can be a significant source of employment over the medium to long term.The National Energy and Climate Plan is a significant step forward (if passed and implemented). The European Green Pact and Brexit may also help boost high-tech investment in the country.
Households’ confidence will be a key determinant in the current recovery. The deterioration – felt or anticipated – in the labour market has weighed on consumers’ optimism: the European Commission (EC) unemployment expectations index dropped to a 11-year low in April (63.0). However, the Purchasing Managers indices (PMI) indicate that the economic downturn has started to ease in May. This could filter through into a pick-up of households’ confidence. Indeed, the chart below shows that the EC unemployment expectations index follows closely the employment PMI indicator. The latter improved in May, although staying at a very low level. The gradual reopening of shops, restaurants, and some cultural sites could also support consumers’ confidence in the coming weeks.
The shape of the post-crisis recovery will depend on the characteristics of each economy, the fiscal response and the level of integration in global value chains. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, some eurozone economies were more vulnerable than others. High levels of debt or unemployment could limit the strength of the recovery. At a domestic level, the sectoral structure, the pattern of private consumption and the labour market situation will be crucial. A high dependency on tourism, a sector durably impacted by the crisis, could hold back the recovery. At the external level, a slow recovery in global trade would hit the most open economies. Moreover, the distortions in global value chains during this crisis could weaken the most highly-integrated economies over a longer period.
The Spanish data has sharply deteriorated – well below their historical averages – since the beginning of the lockdown in March. The trend in exports and industrial output remains positive on the graphic below but the latest figures are only for February. They will also plunge in March/April [...]
The number of unemployed people leapt by 311,037 in March (seasonally-adjusted figures), the biggest monthly increase on record. However, the unemployment report only included a fraction of people in partial unemployment (data for April should show a much bigger jump). The latest Government accounts (2019) show a substantial narrowing of the primary deficit since 2013. The improvement in public finances gives the government some leeway to face the current crisis.
Spain is Europe’s second hardest-hit country by the coronavirus pandemic, and is likely to suffer a sharp economic contraction this year. The economic impact remains hard to quantify. GDP is nonetheless likely to fall by more than 3% in 2020, before a recovery in 2021. The structure of the Spanish economy – turned heavily towards services and with a high proportion of SMEs – suggests that the economic shock could be greater than in other industrialised countries. Endemic unemployment could intensify, leaving a lasting mark on growth over the medium term. However, the improvement in public finances before the virus outbreak and a more stable political situation gives the government some leeway to face the crisis.
Looking at the economic data for the euro area that has emerged recently, the conclusion is clear: we are seeing an unprecedented economic contraction in the service sector. The average eurozone service sector PMI plummeted in Q1 2020, well below its long-term average...
The PMI indices published this week give an early insight into the scale of the economic shock from Covid-19. The composite indices for Japan (35.8), Germany (37.2), France (30.2), the UK (37.1) and the US (40.5) all slumped in March. The euro zone composite PMI was the lowest ever recorded at 31.4. The deterioration was particularly marked for the sub-indices relating to employment and orders for goods and services. Figures for April, whilst remaining at historically low levels, are expected to show increasing divergence between the regions. In East Asia, internal demand should start to pick up, as activity starts to normalise in China. Conversely, the epidemic is spreading more rapidly in the US, India and Africa; meanwhile, many European countries remain in lock-down.
The weight of the tertiary sector in the Spanish economy has grown steadily over the years, and this growth has accelerated in the last five years. Value added for the services sector (volume terms) has increased by 16.2% since Q3 2008, the previous peak achieved before the financial crisis. Conversely, the industrial sector remains 6.9% below its 2008 level. This structural transformation could reflect the growing role of new technologies and the digital economy as engines of growth for both consumption and investment choices. This trend is reflected not only in Spanish domestic demand, but also in the country’s international trade. Indeed, Spanish exports of services have risen 46 % (volume terms) since the autumn of 2008.
Economic activity was solid in Q4 in Spain last year. Growth in Spain should nonetheless continue to slow in 2020.
