The first official data releases of quarterly real GDP for the euro area are published about eight weeks after the end of the reference quarters. Meanwhile, ongoing economic developments must be assessed from various, more readily available, monthly indicators. We examine in the context of...

The discussion presently taking place in the large eurozone economies about the reform of the social welfare state is dominated by two assertions: Western Europe as an investment location is too expensive due to its high tax burden, and, second, countless jobs are threatened from low-wage...