The European Central Bank just unveiled its plan to save the Eurozone. Here’s what you need to know June 5, 2014 Two years after his oft-repeated "whatever it takes" speech, European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi has finally pulled the trigger. Digging deep into the central bank's arsenal, Draghi has picked out the weapons deemed most suitable to what is now moving from a disinflationary crisis to what could be a deflationary one. Inflation in [...]
Eurozone inflation is even weaker than we expected and it’s got the ECB scared June 3, 2014 Today brings the week's most important data point. Annual Eurozone inflation is in – and it's even weaker than economists had forecast. Prices rose by just 0.5 per cent in the year to May, according to Eurostat's flash estimate, far weaker than the 0.6 expected and the 0.7 per cent CPI reported in the year [...]
Eurozone consumer confidence rises in May May 28, 2014 Confidence in the Eurozone economy is on the rise. The European Commission's consumer confidence index rose to -7.1 in May, from -8.6 last month. Consumer confidence is now at its highest point since October 2007. Analysts had expected the improvement to -7.1. Eurozone business confidence was also up, to 0.37 from 0.30 in April. The [...]
Weak exports could hit chance of recovery in troubled Eurozone May 21, 2014 THE EUROZONE’S weak economic recovery was thrown further off track yesterday as new numbers showed exports were weaker than expected in March. Its current account surplus with the rest of the world was squeezed in the month, falling to €18.8bn (£15.2bn) from €21.8bn a month earlier. “The March decline is partly due to trade on goods [...]
The global recovery is gathering pace – but Eurozone doubts remain May 20, 2014 WORRIES are growing about some Eurozone countries slipping back into double dip recession. By convention, a recession is when national output (GDP) has fallen for two successive quarters. But this is far from being news. In a substantial number of economies, output is lower than it was not just two quarters ago, but three whole [...]
Eurozone’s painfully slow recovery continues at half the speed analysts expected May 15, 2014 Painful figures for the Eurozone. The currency bloc has seen GDP growth of just 0.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year, according to estimates from Eurostat. That's well below the 0.4 per cent economists had forecast. Ishaq Siddiq, chief market strategist at ETX Capital, says that the figures are more "fuel to [...]
Eurozone deficits shrinking but public debt continues to mount April 23, 2014 PUBLIC deficits in the Eurozone fell to three per cent of GDP in 2013, hitting the level that individual member states must aim for under the bloc’s rules. Official figures released yesterday show that on average, the countries’ deficits dropped from 3.7 per cent of GDP in 2012, while total public debt rose to the [...]
Eurozone inflation confirmed at 0.5pc as pressure piles on Draghi April 16, 2014 The shock fall seen in Eurozone inflation in March has been confirmed this morning. A final revision of Eurozone inflation for March has come in at 0.5 per cent – confirming the four-year low preliminary reading and stoking concerns that the economic area could slip into deflation, as disinflation continues. Below the European Central Bank [...]
Eurozone QE: Why and how Draghi may pull the trigger April 14, 2014 The ECB will opt for a massive sum to force the euro down DESPITE the strongest signs yet that the European Central Bank (ECB) will act to tackle disinflation, markets remain unconvinced. ECB president Mario Draghi, speaking on Saturday, said that a continued strengthening of the euro (which the ECB believes has knocked up to [...]
The Eurozone’s most powerful finance ministers are tiptoeing around their big division April 7, 2014 This morning veteran German finance minister and new French finance minister Michel Sapin met in Berlin, giving an amicable press conference that did little more than hint at perhaps their biggest split on policy Sapin is not as outwardly radical as incoming economy minister Arnaud Montebourg, but is nonetheless tasked with pushing for less stringent [...]