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Debt crisis pushes European economies into reverse

AFP, Frankfurt
THE sovereign debt crisis brought economic growth all across Europe to a standstill and even pushed a number of countries into recession at the end of last year, data showed on Wednesday.
Germany, Europe's biggest economy, saw its gross domestic product (GDP) shrink by 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, as the long-running debt crisis slammed exports, its traditional engine of growth.
In Austria, too, the economy contracted slightly in the period from October to December as weak global demand hit exports and consumption at home fell.
The situation was worse in the Netherlands, Italy and the Czech Republic which all found themselves in recession, technically defined as two consecutive quarters of GDP contraction.
In Belgium, the central bank forecast the economy would shrink by 0.1 percent this year, after projecting growth of 0.5 percent just two months ago.
Among the countries to publish preliminary fourth-quarter GDP data so far, only France, Hungary and Bulgaria saw their economies expand.
France notched up surprise growth of 0.2 percent in the final quarter of last year.
Hungary's economy grew by 0.3 percent, down from 0.4 percent in the preceding three months and in Bulgaria, growth accelerated slightly to
0.4 percent.
Analysts said that at first glance the data did not appear to be as dire as expected and, on the basis of the figures released so far, the eurozone economy as a whole contracted by rather less than expected.
"Coupled with the recent improve-
ment in some of the leading indicators, (the data) may raise hopes that the region will expand again in the first quarter and hence avoid a technical recession," said Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics in London.
But there were also reasons to be cautious, he warned.
"For a start, what details of the breakdown of growth we have at this stage are not particularly encouraging. Much of the upside surprise on French GDP came from a drop in imports, while consumer spending and net trade were both negative in Germany," he said.
"And more generally, with Greece still on the edge of disaster and the fiscal crisis deepening, the eurozone economy faces enormous challenges in 2012."
In the case of Germany, at least, analysts predicted the slowdown to be short-lived.
The dip in GDP was "not as deep as expected, confirming that the German economy only took a growth pause and is not approaching a new recession," said Carsten Brzeski, economist at ING Belgium.
"Of course, a quick rebound is not (automatic) and the big unknown for the German economy remains the sovereign debt crisis. One thing, however, is obvious — today’s numbers are no reason at all to start singing swan songs on the German economy," Brzeski said.
Among the factors pointing to an early return to growth was the low risk of a credit crunch, the analyst argued. Contrary to many European peers, German banks have not tightened lending conditions, at least for now, he said.
Low inventories and a still high backlog of orders would act as "an important safety net for industry, ensuring production even if demand for German products would weaken," he said.
Many of Germany's most important trading partners are outside the eurozone so exports could benefit from a pick-up elsewhere even if Europe slips into recession.
Finally, a sound labour market would ensure that domestic demand, which has actually taken over from exports as the main driver of growth, would remain strong, the analyst said.
Annalisa Piazza at Newedge Strategy also believed the fourth-quarter GDP data were "a touch less gloomy than expected."
It was "the first contraction in activity since early2009 and — in our view — just a one-off event," the analyst said, predicting a "modest improvement already in the first half."
The "solid structure of the economy is acting as a cushion to external shocks and there are no major risks of a deep recession," she said.