LONDON (Reuters) – The euro enjoyed a small respite on Monday, jumping to an 11-day high versus the U.S. dollar, on expectations that Washington and Beijing can soon sign off on a deal to end a trade war that has been a drag on global economic growth. Faint op... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Union banks have put in place all the plans for Brexit but execution is lagging as lenders await the outcome of negotiations between Britain and the EU, European Central Bank banking supervisor Andrea Enria said on Monday. Some b... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The euro edged down on Monday as investors awaited Christine Lagarde’s first speech as European Central Bank president, but hopes that the United States may choose not to impose tariffs on auto imports kept it near its highest level in weeks... More »
ROME (Reuters) – A right-wing coalition scored a net victory in a local election in the central Italian region of Umbria, official data from the Interior Ministry showed on Monday, giving a boost to Matteo Salvini’s League party. The vote in tiny Umbria, a tra... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Christine Lagarde will ensure European Central Bank policymakers climb down from their “ivory tower” and face the political realities of the euro zone, the ECB’s vice president, Luis de Guindos, said in an interview published on Saturday.... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Mario Draghi told his successor on Thursday to “never give up” on propping up the euro zone economy in the face of a worsening outlook and little help from governments. At the last press conference of his e... More »
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s approval rating has jumped sharply as voters back his government’s approach on Brexit ahead of a parliamentary election he wants to hold in May, a poll showed on Tuesday. However, the surge in Varadkar’s p... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – UBS Wealth Management said on Friday it still expects the UK government to ask for an extension to the deadline for exiting the European Union and to hold a general election, though it acknowledged that chances of a Brexit deal have increase... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Deutsche Bank said on Wednesday it still sees a 50% chance that Britain will leave the European Union without a deal by the end of the year following a general election, but said there’s a 20% chance of a “surprise” agreement later this mont... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union commissioners-designate said the bloc should agree on a digital tax if no deal on the matter was reached at a global level by the end of next year, ramping up pressure on multinationals accused of paying too little. In writt... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone governments must reform their economies and use appropriate fiscal policies to ensure that the European Central Bank is not overburdened, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday. Speaking at an event in Frankfurt, home ... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s new government allowed a French charity ship to bring ashore 82 migrants on Saturday in an apparent reversal of the uncompromising, closed-door policy of the previous administration. However, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who heads t... More »
HELSINKI (Reuters) – France and Germany said on Friday that Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) Libra currency posed risks to the financial sector that could block its authorization in Europe, and backed the development of an alternative public cryptocurrency. The criticism... More »
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (FB.O) revealed lofty plans to establish a cryptocurrency called Libra in June, but the project quickly ran into trouble with skeptical regulators around the world. Opposition deepened on Friday, when both France... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi pledged indefinite stimulus on Thursday to revive an ailing euro zone economy, tying the hands of his successor for years to come and sparking an immediate conflict with U.S. President Donald Trump... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is giving euro zone banks a small reprieve from a penalty charge on their idle cash but this is likely to prove too little, too late for a sector hurt by years of low interest rates. In its latest bid to shield t... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank approved a fresh stimulus package as expected on Thursday, cutting interest rates and approving a new round of bond purchases to prop up euro zone growth and halt a worrisome drop in inflation expectations. Follo... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank approved a fresh stimulus package as expected on Thursday, cutting interest rates and approving a new round of bond purchases to prop up euro zone growth and halt a worrisome drop in inflation expectations. The E... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks will be exempted from paying the European Central Bank a penalty charge on idle cash worth six times their mandatory reserves, the ECB said on Thursday. “This decision aims to support the bank-based transmission of monetar... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said on Thursday that the euro zone economy was in a period of “protracted” economic weakness, with inflation staying low and the balance of risks tilted toward the downside. “Incoming informat... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday there was still every chance for Britain’s divorce from the European Union to take place with a deal although Berlin is prepared for a disorderly Brexit in case that does not happen. British ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The Japanese yen fell on Wednesday as the rush into safe-haven assets during the summer continued to unwind on the back of rising risk appetite, while the euro paused before Thursday’s European Central Bank meeting. The yen had rocketed towa... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that the current economic situation in Germany meant tax revenues could come in lower than expected. Europe’s largest economy contracted by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the April-June period and some ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday its market sentiment indicator has fallen to a level so bearish it has triggered a “contrarian” buy signal for assets considered more risky, such as equities, for the first time since January. The... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s economy contracted on weaker exports in the second quarter, detailed data showed on Tuesday, highlighting the Achilles heel of Europe’s largest economy due to escalating trade disputes and waning foreign demand. The Federal Statist... More »
BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday G7 leaders had not reached a consensus on inviting Russia to next year’s G7 summit in the United States. Macron added that he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would organize a summ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – There is no sign of a looming euro zone crisis due to political upheaval in Italy, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday. Asked if he feared a new euro zone crisis, Scholz told German television: “No, there is no sign of that... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The euro steadied on Monday after suffering its biggest weekly drop in nearly two months as risk appetite gradually returned to global markets after a week of turmoil. With hopes of fiscal stimulus from Germany growing and steps by China ove... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s ruling League party would seek tax cuts in the 2020 budget by raising the country’s deficit a little bit, its economics spokesman said on Monday. League chief Matteo Salvini pulled the plug last week on its coalition government with th... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors pumped money into bonds and equities in the week to Wednesday with U.S. stock funds adding $1.7 billion, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as markets tried to weigh hopes for major central bank stimulus against economic... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission lowered its estimates on Wednesday for euro zone growth and inflation, saying uncertainty over U.S. trade policy posed a major risk to the bloc. In its quarterly economic forecasts, the European Union’s executive ar... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Croatia has submitted a formal bid to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM-2), an early stage on the path to membership of the euro currency, the head of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers said on Monday. The move could... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A shrewd negotiator who has run the IMF but has little monetary policy experience, Christine Lagarde will face the challenge as the European Central Bank’s new chief of having to revive the euro zone economy with a largely depleted policy... More »
LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Stocks rallied and bonds retreated on Monday as the United States and China agreed to restart trade talks, leading investors to pare wagers on aggressive policy easing by the major central banks. The dollar firmed on the safe-haven ye... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders are close to picking Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans to head the European Commission, two diplomats said on Monday, after an uninterrupted 18 hours of talks during which the bloc’s political families vied for influe... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone lending growth held steady in May while a broader money supply indicator, which often foreshadows future activity, grew faster than expected, data showed on Monday, easing pressure on the European Central Bank to provide more st... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Factory activity in the euro zone shrank faster last month than previously thought in a broad-based downturn, according to a survey on Monday that suggested there would be no quick turnaround. The downbeat data will likely add to calls for t... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar and offshore Chinese yuan rallied on Monday after the United States and China agreed to restart their troubled trade talks, while the Japanese yen and Swiss franc were the big casualties as investors sold safe-haven currencies. Wh... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s biggest lender, UniCredit (CRDI.MI), will stick to organic growth in its new business plan, Chief Executive Jean Pierre Mustier said in an interview published in La Stampa newspaper on Monday, saying European mergers were difficult. “... More »
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria hopes to join the precursor to euro zone membership, the ERM-2 exchange rate mechanism before year-end, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said on Wednesday, pushing back Sofia’s initial target of joining this summer. The Balkan coun... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Profitability across the euro zone bank sector is low and weakening growth could further dampen the sector’s prospects, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Tuesday. Negative ECB rates are not the cause of the weak... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – A controversial plan for Italy to issue so-called mini-bills to settle overdue state payments is opening cracks within the country’s ruling League party, after a prominent party official on Sunday dismissed it as “unrealistic.” Mini-bills, or... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar was on the back foot on Monday after sustaining its biggest weekly drop in four months last week as traders remained cautious about the prospects of trade talks between the United States and China at this week’s G20 summit. The gr... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar weakened against its rivals on Tuesday, heading back towards a recent three-month low before a U.S. central bank meeting gets underway with expectations growing the Fed will signal its first rate cut in a decade. A CME Fedwatch to... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – Italian mid-sized lender Creval said on Tuesday it would spin off its bad debts into a separate unit and sell half of them, in order to roughly halve its gross soured loan ratio to below 6.5% in 2023. Presenting a five-year business plan unde... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s ruling parties could expose the nation to market shocks and put its savings at risk if they were not ready to compromise with the European Union over their budget plans, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told Corriere della Sera newspaper... More »
(Reuters) – The head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, steps down at the end of October and the 19 euro zone countries are now looking for his replacement. The shortlists of likely candidates are almost exclusively male. It is one of several top jobs... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – After almost three years of successfully predicting a global economic revival, world bond markets are furiously flagging the risk of yet another recession, as well as low inflation for a generation. Spooked by the escalating U.S.-China trade... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s prime minister and economy minister have formed an unofficial alliance with the president to prevent the euro zone’s third-largest economy being dragged into financial crisis by its ruling parties, sources say. Prime Minister Giuseppe ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors plowed a record $12.3 billion into investment grade bond funds and ditched equities over the past week, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as worries over trade tensions and the world economy reinforced a run for safe-ha... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will present an ultimatum to fractious ruling parties on Monday to speed up government action or face his resignation, Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Il Corriere della sera reported. Conte will make ... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Factory activity contracted in most Asian countries last month as an escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing raised fears of a global economic downturn and heaped pressure on policymakers in the region and beyond to roll out m... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The results of the European parliamentary election are likely to lead to less ambitious euro zone integration plans and set Italy up for more clashes with the European Commission over its fiscal policy, euro zone officials said on Monday. ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors have added to their global equity holdings for the first time in 2-1/2 months and continued to pile into bonds, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as worries about the U.S.-China trade spat sent shudders through financia... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar held near a one-month high on Wednesday after minutes from the May Federal Open Market Committee meeting showed officials agreed that their current patient approach to setting monetary policy could remain in place “for some... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The Australian dollar surged on Monday and is on track for its biggest rise this year as investors cheered a shock election win by Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative coalition, though mixed global stocks broadly weighed on risk app... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors are neither extremely bullish nor bearish, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s gauge of market sentiment, as they weigh the impact of trade tensions between the United States and China. Investors pulled $19.5 billion out o... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks are turning away from cross-border activity, putting at risk the bloc’s banking union and raising the risk of dangerous fragmentation, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Thursday. With national ru... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – China’s yuan was set for its worst daily fall in nine months on Monday as trade negotiations between the U.S. and China ended after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods. Currency moves in response to the latest trade hostil... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Global equities have seen outflows of $20.5 billion in the past week as “trade deal trauma” pushed more money into bonds, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, the latest sign of how growing global trade tensions are roiling financia... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The Chinese yuan was set for its biggest drop in 10 months on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on China while perceived safe-haven currencies such as the yen surged amid a broad-based rout for risky assets... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A new round of tariffs between the United States and its main partners would only cause a “modest decrease” in the pace of economic growth in the euro zone, according to research by the European Central Bank. The study simulated a two-way... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Short positioning on European equities was the “most crowded trade” for the second straight month in April, a survey of fund managers by Bank of America Merrill Lynch found. Investors called bearish positions on Europe a crowded trade once a... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An internal European Central Bank model indicates the euro zone’s economic growth could slow further in the second quarter, suggesting the projected recovery may be delayed even further, two sources familiar with the discussion said on F... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Greece is looking to strike a deal this weekend to repay early about half of the loans it received from the International Monetary Fund, in a bid to lower the euro zone member’s burden of debt servicing, a senior official said on Friday.... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s biggest lender UniCredit said it is among a group of banks accused of running a cartel in trading euro zone government bonds between 2007 and 2012, years when financial crises dragged down banks and several European countries. UniCred... More »
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – The European Central Bank considers that risks to the euro zone financial stability from a no-deal Brexit are “limited” and have been broadly addressed, ECB board member Benoit Coeure said on Friday. But he repeated the ECB’s call on fina... More »
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Euro zone countries have taken steps to prepare for a no-deal Brexit but are still hoping that this scenario will not occur, the chairman of the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers said on Friday. Mario Centeno told a news conference... More »
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Mergers in Europe’s fragmented banking sector are necessary to make the sector more resilient as the euro zone seeks to protect itself from future crises, France’s finance minister told Reuters in an interview. Bruno Le Maire, who joined ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – EU Economic Affairs and Tax Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Monday he believed Britain would not leave the European Union without a withdrawal agreement. EU leaders handed Prime Minister Theresa May a last chance at a summit on Friday t... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Global equity funds saw massive outflows this week, a sharp reversal from last week’s inflows as pessimism over economic growth gripped investors once again, driving them instead to search for yield in credit and buy safer assets like bonds.... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone banking watchdogs said banks planning mergers should make sure they could be wound down in a crisis, a warning likely to resonate with executives seeking to merge German giants Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank. The two lenders confi... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Fund managers have named bearish bets in European equities as the “most crowded” trade in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s survey for the first time in its history, suggesting sentiment for one of the world’s most shunned markets may rise fro... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Having spent three years and more than 2.6 trillion euros ($3 trillion) trying to boost economic growth across the euro zone, the European Central Bank’s mixed record may open the door for a high-spending, radical alternative. With populist ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors plowed $14.2 billion into global equity funds this week, the largest amount in a year as investors jumped on to 2019’s stock market rally, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, citing flow data provider EPFR. An index of gl... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy will join China’s giant “Belt and Road” initiative only after satisfying itself that U.S. and European Union concerns over the infrastructure plan have no basis, Industry Junior Minister Michele Geraci was quoted as saying on Monday. Ger... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A $10 billion wipeout over the last week has compounded the worst start to a year for equity flows since 2008, Bank of America Merrill Lynch strategists said on Friday. Citing data from flow-tracker EPFR, BAML’s analysts calculated that just... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s fourth round of cheap long-term loans targeted at banks may steer euro zone lenders away from a cliff edge in funding. But it is a symptom of, rather than a cure for, the bloc’s economic malaise that appears to... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank changed tack on its tightening plan on Thursday, pushing out the timing of its first post-crisis rate hike until 2020 at the earliest and offering banks a new round of cheap loans to help revive the euro zone eco... More »
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Euro zone banks will not be able to use a new longer-term lending facility from the European Central Bank to extend mortgages, Lithuanian central bank chief Vitas Vasiliauskas said on Friday. The ECB delayed its first post-crisis rate hike ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Mario Draghi caught even dovish rate-setters off guard by pushing on Thursday for unexpectedly generous stimulus after forecasts showed a large drop in economic growth, four sources familiar with the discus... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank will appoint someone to become the euro zone’s second-most senior banking watchdog “in the coming weeks”, ECB President Mario Draghi said on Thursday. The post of vice chair of the ECB’s Single Supervisory Mechan... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is expected to give banks fresh long-term loans known as TLTROs to keep credit flowing to companies in the euro zone, in the hope that an already marked economic downturn will not be exacerbated by a sudden crunc... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Two months after ending its massive stimulus scheme, the European Central Bank faces growing pressure to address how it will protect the euro zone economy from a protracted slowdown. Thursday’s policy meeting, news conference, and updated ec... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank has downplayed a global slowdown for months, but it will finally take a tentative step next week to prop up the euro zone economy, signaling fresh stimulus to keep banks lending. With a global trade war already b... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – High-grade euro zone debt remains scarce even though the European Central Bank has stopped its huge purchases of new bonds, intensifying concerns that banks will face future collateral shortages and highlighting the need for safe assets. The... More »
BENGALURU (Reuters) – Global funds recommended a bigger safety buffer in February, with cash holdings raised to their highest in more than three years and equity allocations cut to the lowest in nearly two, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday. Many top equity in... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italy is facing excessive economic imbalances and the policies of its government are making matters worse, posing a threat to other euro zone countries, the European Commission said on Wednesday. However, the EU executive arm, whose job is... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said on Wednesday that European Union “bail-in” rules covering failing banks should be scrapped. Tria told parliament he agreed with comments by Antonio Patuelli, the head of Italy’s banking lobby, who ea... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – If Britain quits the European Union without a deal, that could shave at least 0.5 percent off Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP), the head of Germany’s BDI industry association said on Tuesday. BDI Managing Director Joachim Lang said tha... More »
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – Latvia violated European Union law by barring from office its central bank governor, who is also a European Central Bank policymaker, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday in a widely expected decision. Ilmars Rimsevics was susp... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone headline consumer inflation slowed slightly in January because of a sharp deceleration of energy price growth, but core inflation watched closely by the European Central Bank in policy decisions edged slightly higher, data showed... More »
DUBLIN (Reuters) – The parliamentary defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy has increased doubt among European Union states that she can seal a departure agreement, Ireland’s foreign minister said on Friday. However, they still stand willing t... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A key euro zone banking supervision role is set to go unfilled for an indefinite time after ECB chief Mario Draghi failed to pick a successor in an unprecedented impasse at the crucial euro zone institution, sources familiar with the matt... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors pumped record high volumes of cash into emerging markets shares and bonds in the past week, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) said on Friday amid expectations U.S. monetary policy could lead to a weaker U.S. dollar. Flows into b... More »
LISBON (Reuters) – The head of euro zone finance ministers, Mario Centeno, said on Tuesday Europe and Britain could talk further and adjust their positions to avoid a no-deal Brexit in case Britain’s parliament rejects the deal agreed between London and Brusse... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The Australian dollar and kiwi dollar, gauges of global risk appetite, fell on Monday on fears of a slowdown in China’s economy prompted by a contraction in Chinese exports. Market sentiment swung negative after data showed that China’s Dece... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Global investors plowed money back into stocks and bonds this week as they regained their appetite for risk, boosted by dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Equity funds drew inflows of $6.2 billion, their biggest in ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – France’s response to “yellow vest” protests could be a turning point for euro zone bond markets if it kicks off an era of increased public borrowing in the bloc and loads additional debt on to a market already nervous over the removal of ECB... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Unemployment in the euro zone unexpectedly fell in November to its lowest rate in more than ten years, official estimates released on Wednesday showed. The EU statistics office Eurostat said unemployment in the 19-country currency bloc dro... More »
