Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister, will hold a referendum at a time when Italy and its banks look vulnerable TIBERIO BARCHIELLI /EPAThere have been signs of improvement and greater resilience from continental Europe’s economy but a year of political shocks ahead could reverse the hope in the eurozone that the worst is behind it. The grounds for that hope — rising growth and falling unemployment — should be reflected in European Commission forecasts on Wednesday. Growth is stable and modest, but could stutter into 2017, a year that will be marked by uncertainty after America’s election result, Britain’s notification of Article 50 and elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany. Eurozone GDP growth is expected to be steady at 0.4 per cent quarter on quarter, coming in at a modest 1.6 per cent in 2016, as forecast by the commission in spring. Next year it is…

Source: The Times November 07, 2016 00:07 UTC