Deflation in Europe Could Signal Stagnation in 2014

Alarm bells are ringing again over the health of the European economy, after a surprising fall in inflation last month.
With eurozone unemployment stuck at record levels above 12% and the economy failing to generate momentum after emerging from recession earlier this year, some analysts are warning that the region is at risk of sinking into a Japanese-style era of deflation and stagnation.

Such talk has led to calls for the European Central Bank to cut interest rates to a new record low when it meets Thursday, or at the latest in December, to inject new impetus into the weak recovery and take some of the heat out of a rally in the euro.
The currency hit a two-year high of $1.38 last week before falling back after the October inflation numbers.

But it’s still up 5% since March — boosted by the return to growth and expectations that the Fed will delay any tightening of U.S. monetary policy until 2014 — and that makes it harder for struggling euro zone states such Italy, Spain and Portugal to export their way out of trouble.

via CNN

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