Overall, European equity markets have continued their upward trend over the past year, despite geopolitical concerns
in Ukraine and
uncertainty over the ECB's willingness to support struggling
economies.
If it persists, this month's decrease
in optimism regarding the direction of the
economy, which appears to coincide with rising
uncertainty regarding the outlook for pro-growth legislation this year, could weigh on
overall housing sentiment
in the second half of the year.»
Overall, product introductions at this year's CES were generally more subdued than
in past years, likely reflecting the pervasive
uncertainty of a sour
economy.