The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause multiple disruptions to the world’s industries and economies and this is also true for many CEE currencies. Those countries that have not adopted the Euro, or are not pegged to it, have each seen a ca. 10% depreciation in currency value during the period February to March 2020. The Romanian Leu is the exception which has depreciated just 1%, largely due to central bank intervention, Colliers reports in its CEE Special Insights Series.

Governments in the region keep introducing economic aid packages. Property Forum’s daily summary looks at the measures taken to ease the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on households and businesses.

Erste Bank Group anticipates an economic slowdown for 2020 in most CEE countries due to the coronavirus situation. The bank’s report mentions a negative scenario as well, which would result in a massive recession in the region.

Austria’s economic growth curve is set to follow a V-shaped course in the wake of the coronavirus and the containment measures implemented, according to Bank Austria, a member of UniCredit Group.

The German federal government plans to set up an economic stabilization fund (Wirtschaftsstabilisierungsfonds, WSF) to prevent companies from going bankrupting during the coronavirus crisis, according to the new draft bill of the finance minister.

In our interconnected world, significant disruptions underscore the need for resilient supply chains. The risks posed by COVID-19 to economic growth would likewise affect real estate in the near term; on both counts, the magnitude is yet unknown. Still, structural trends point to resiliency for logistics real estate through this period and beyond, shaping both the fundamental and investment landscape, according to a new report by Prologis Research.

Property Forum collected the latest measures taken in CEE countries to mitigate the negative effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

Property Forum provides a comprehensive summary of the most important coronavirus-related measures that have been introduced in CEE countries. All of them have implemented a number of restrictive measures to slow down the spread of the virus and several governments have announced plans to help companies hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis and to stimulate the economy.

According to Colliers International’s latest “FDI into CEE infographic”, high numbers of Global Fortune 500 companies in the CEE-6 are being largely driven from Automotive, Industrials, Food, Beverages & Tobacco, Telecom & Media and Transportation sectors. Whilst Poland is the biggest economy, the ratio of the Fortune Global 500 companies present versus population size is much higher in Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Europe’s commercial property market is enjoying a favourable operating environment supporting its credit quality but risks are increasing. Rising interest rates and slowing economic growth could dampen future investor demand, according to Moody’s latest report.