LONDON (Reuters) – The euro and commodity-linked currencies rose on Wednesday as optimism over U.S.-China trade negotiations improved investor sentiment and encouraged some selling of the dollar. Expectations of more easing in China also supported markets, wit... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Inflation in Germany’s most populous regions slowed in December, just as the European Central Bank ended a crisis-fighting bond purchase scheme after four years and as global markets slumped. The annual inflation rate in Germany’s most popul... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The Japanese yen gained half a percent against the dollar on Friday as investors cut back positions in risky assets after a volatile week in global stock markets and as concerns grow about a trade dispute between United States and China. Tra... More »
ROME (Reuters) – The Italian parliament on Tuesday approved a package of measures to crack down on public sector corruption and improve the efficiency of the justice system, two problems which have long dogged the euro zone’s third largest economy. The bill ba... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders took a step toward deeper euro zone integration on Friday to help prevent future crises, but deep disagreement left key issues like a euro zone budget and a deposit guarantee scheme unresolved. Leaders of all EU coun... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron will plead to euro zone peers this week that the costly emergency measures he announced to quell anti-tax protests were needed to ensure he could press on with his ambitious reform agenda, an official said on ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government accepts a ruling by the European Union’s top court that the United Kingdom can unilaterally revoke its divorce notice, a spokeswoman said on Monday, adding that Berlin continued to regret Britain’s decision to quit the ... More »
(Reuters) – Following are five big themes likely to dominate thinking of investors and traders in the coming week and the Reuters stories related to them. 1/ CURVE-BALLS With major parts of the U.S. economy visibly slowing, the Treasury market has reacted in a... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors pulled billions from bonds and stocks this week as U.S. bond movements triggered fears over global growth and a trade tussle between the United States and China heated up, strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire broke out of a meeting on Monday in Brussels with his euro zone counterparts to return to Paris for an urgent meeting, a French official said. The official did not say what the “very important meeting... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU finance ministers will agree on Monday to give the euro zone bailout fund new responsibilities, but they will delay decisions on the euro zone budget and a deposit guarantee scheme after failing to reach agreement, a draft document show... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union finance ministers will seek final agreement on Monday on deeper euro zone integration which, after a year of negotiations, is likely to turn out much less ambitious than initially planned. Championed by French President Emma... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who was outspoken in his criticism of the austerity policies championed by Berlin at the height of the euro zone’s debt crisis, is to stand in European elections next year – in Germany. The Dem... More »
BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron called on Sunday for Germany and France to dig deeper as allies in their bid to spearhead a more united Europe, including by overcoming lingering scepticism on issues such as a euro zone budget. Macron ... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone banks which issued large amounts of loss-absorbing debt under English law could have more time to meet requirements after Britain leaves the European Union, the bloc’s agency responsible to winding down failing lenders said on Th... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italy should have a “plan B” to quit the euro zone with a referendum if economic conditions dictate, the founder of the co-ruling 5-Star Movement said, sending ripples through financial markets. The anti-establishment movement’s founder Beppe ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The yen trimmed early gains on Monday as traders consolidated positions after reports the central bank was debating moves to scale back its massive monetary stimulus ignited a brief rally in the Japanese currency. With investors wary of buyi... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The U.S. and euro zone economies remain a world apart and growth data due in the coming days will only highlight the widening gap, suggesting that monetary policy will continue to move in opposing directions on the two sides of the Atlant... More »
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – The European Central Bank defended its 2.6 trillion-euro bond-buying program before the European Union’s top court on Tuesday from accusations it was bankrolling governments and endangering taxpayer money. The case, brought by a group of... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar strengthened broadly on Monday and neared a six-month high against the Japanese yen as investors bought riskier assets, encouraged by signs that trade tensions have yet to hurt economic momentum. As the second-quarter corporate ea... More »
ROME (Reuters) – The head of Italy’s central bank on Tuesday warned the new anti-establishment government to be cautious with public finances to avoid upsetting financial markets and increasing public debt. Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco told a gathering... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria called on Tuesday for greater risk sharing in order to strengthen the euro zone banking system. In a speech to a gathering of bankers in Rome, Tria said boosting Italy’s economic growth was “no less impor... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The euro weakened half a percent and other high-yielding currencies such as the Australian dollar wilted on Monday as rising concerns over an escalation in the trade dispute between the United States and its partners sapped demand. The singl... More »
Euro zone factory growth slowed to an 18-month low in June, slipping for the sixth month in a row amid widespread concerns about trade barriers and their impact on overall economic activity, a survey showed on Monday. IHS Markit’s June final manufacturing Purc... More »
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria aims to join the EU’s banking union on the same day it enters the “waiting room” for euro zone membership, where it must spend at least two years before joining the single currency, its prime minister said on Friday. Boyko Borissov s... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The following is the text agreed on by EU leaders on euro zone economic integration:In line with the Leaders’ Agenda and the outcome of its December 2017 meeting, welcoming national contributions, including the one presented by France and ... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU leaders except Britain are to discuss on Friday Britain’s exit from the European Union and deeper integration of the euro zone after a deal on migration reached in the small hours. [nL8N1TU1MP] Below are the leaders’ comments before the... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Equity funds suffered their second-largest weekly outflows ever this week, with $29.7 billion pulled out of risky assets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) strategists said on Friday as fears about rising U.S. protectionism continue to we... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that further euro zone reform was needed to nip possible future crises in the bud, after aid programs to some member states had been successful. Addressing parliament before heading to an EU l... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar held near a one-week low against a basket of currencies on Tuesday as investors retreated to the sidelines while concerns grew about an intensifying conflict between the United States and its trade partners, particularly China. Th... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron on euro zone reforms does not violate the coalition agreement, as some Bavarian conservatives have suggested, an aide to the German leader said. Chancellery Minister ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Bavarian premier Markus Soeder took aim on Thursday at a euro zone reform blueprint that Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with France this week, rejecting the idea of German taxpayers’ money being used to help other members of the single curr... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s finance minister on Wednesday defended a euro zone reform blueprint agreed with France against criticism by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives that it could undermine monetary stability. Members of Merkel’s conservative bloc ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – The leaders of Germany and France agreed on Tuesday to create a budget for the euro zone and hailed a “new chapter” for the currency union, but they left the details to be worked out later with other members of the 19-country bloc. Their mee... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission welcomed on Wednesday a joint position of the euro zone’s two biggest countries — Germany and France — on the key elements of deeper euro zone integration calling it a crucial step for reaching an overall agreement.... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday a euro zone reform package agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron would be supported by all parties in her ruling coalition. “I can give a very clear ‘yes’ that everything agreed here tod... More »
MESEBERG, Germany (Reuters) – A new joint euro zone budget agreed on Tuesday by France and Germany will be operational by 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Macron said that details of the budget, incl... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – New Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will travel to Paris on June 23 for talks with Emmanuel Macron on migration and euro zone reforms, the French presidency said on Monday. It would be the Socialist leader’s first overseas visit since de... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron, who will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin next week, said on Friday he hoped to strike a deal on completing the euro zone banking union in the “coming weeks”. Speaking at news confere... More »
RIGA (Reuters) – The European Central Bank’s President Mario Draghi on Thursday played down political upheavals in Italy and dismissed suggestions that the euro zone’s third-largest economy might quit the single currency. The euro EUR= and Italian government b... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel exchanged views with European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Monday, her spokesman said, as part of her regular informal meetings with leaders of European institutions. Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seib... More »
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s economy grew for a fifth straight quarter in January-to-March and at a faster pace than in the previous three months, helped by stronger exports, the statistics service (ELSTAT) said on Monday. Seasonally adjusted data showed gross ... More »
(This version of the story corrects end-March soured loan level to 20.5 percent (not 24.6 pct) in para. 10) MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s third largest bank, Banco BPM, is looking to sell part of its debt servicing unit as it strives to meet its bad-loan reduction... More »
LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) – Factory growth in major manufacturing hubs showed signs of cooling last month as companies braced for potential damage from rising global trade tensions while also grappling with accelerating inflation and a strong dollar. U.S. Presi... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her most detailed response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to reform the euro zone in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper published on Sunday. The followi... More »
WHISTLER, British Columbia (Reuters) – French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Saturday he was confident of reaching an agreement with Germany this month about creating a joint “fiscal capacity” within the euro zone. Le Maire and his German counterpart ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – There is no threat of a new sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone despite an anti-establishment coalition government taking power in Italy, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published on Saturday. Asked by th... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – Some European and U.S. fund managers are stepping back into Italian equities after fresh angst about a break from the euro zone wiped five months of gains off Milan’s top share index. Analysts expect uncertainty about Italy’s role in Europe a... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said in a Reuters interview published on Thursday that he does not expect the next election in Italy to become a referendum on its euro zone membership. Anti-European remarks by leading Italian politicians... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Political turmoil in Italy, the euro zone’s third largest economy, could hit economic growth in Germany and affect the whole euro zone, the Berlin-based DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce said on Wednesday. The likelihood of snap Italian... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday she would work with any coalition government formed in Italy, but she also warned that any discussions on economic policy would have to be within the rules governing the euro zone. Anti-establis... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government on Thursday voiced concern about anti-European statements made by members of Italy’s incoming governing coalition, and the BDI industry association urged Rome to stick to European Union treaties and euro zone budget rul... More »
ROME (Reuters) – Giuseppe Conte, the law professor named as Italian prime minister on Wednesday after surviving accusations he inflated his academic credentials, must now prove he can lead the euro zone’s third largest economy with no political experience. Con... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar hit a five-month high on Monday after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared the U.S.-China trade war “on hold” following their agreement to suspend threatened tariffs. Against a basket of its peers, the dollar rose above... More »
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Potential policy changes under a government being formed in Italy are creating a lot of nervousness but it is necessary to wait to see what is put in practice, ECB governing council member Ewald Nowotny said on Monday. “It is something that ... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italy’s emerging ruling coalition is likely to put deeper euro zone integration on hold and could set the stage for the bloc’s next crisis if it delivers on its tax-cutting and high-spending policies, European policymakers and economists f... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The prospect of a more spendthrift government in Italy, already one of the euro zone’s most indebted economies, has had only a mild impact on Italian government bonds — leaving many market pundits puzzled. Even after news in the past 24 hour... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German economic growth slowed slightly more than expected in the first quarter of the year due to weak trade, data showed on Tuesday, but analysts called it a blip and predicted Europe’s biggest economy would shift into a higher gear again. ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday her conservative bloc wanted a reduction in European banking sector risks before a banking union can be formed, adding that the euro zone’s rescue fund should remain under parliamentary contr... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that Germany and France agreed on most fundamental issues related to Europe but the two countries sometimes had different emphases on how to proceed with the euro zone. French President Emmanuel Macron... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar stayed near its 2018 peak on Monday after U.S. jobs and wages data did little to temper perceptions of strength in the U.S. economy, though renewed concerns about trade frictions could cloud its outlook. The dollar index stood at 9... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar held steady against a basket of currencies on Friday, having retreated from four-month highs on profit-taking, with the focus on whether U.S. jobs data will provide the spark for another push higher. The dollar has erased all i... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – As speculation about interest rate rises and policy ‘normalization’ in the euro zone, Japan, Britain and China falls away rapidly, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s now lonely monetary tightening has suddenly supercharged the dollar. The revival of... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone banks continued to cut their pile of soured debt in the final quarter of last year, European Central Bank data showed on Monday, working away on a key legacy of the bloc’s debt crisis which has weighed on growth and bank profits... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Lending to euro zone households and companies accelerated in March while a broader indicator of money circulating in the currency bloc, which often foreshadows future activity, slowed sharply, data from the European Central Bank showed on... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Europe has launched the seventh of its Sentinel Earth observation satellites as part of its multi-billion-euro Copernicus program to help predict weather phenomena such as El Nino and track the progress of global warming. The Sentinel-3B ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Business activity across the euro zone was still growing as the second quarter began, but at a more modest rate than around the turn of the year, a survey showed on Monday. The euro zone unexpectedly was one of the best-performing major econ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The ECB meets on Thursday against a backdrop of concern about a global trade spat and a softening in euro zone economic data that could potentially hamper the central bank’s plans to unwind its extraordinary monetary stimulus. In March, the ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Angela Merkel called for a spirit of compromise on reforming the euro zone at a meeting on Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who pressed for solidarity among members of the currency union. Before their talks, the two ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that euro zone member states should add solidarity mechanisms such as a banking union to the existing instruments meant to improve competitiveness if they want the bloc to thrive. “No monetar... More »
STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Europeans needed to urgently agree on a roadmap to reform the euro zone currency and economic union. Macron also said France was ready to increase its contribution to the Euro... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Social Democrats on Tuesday raised the pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives to back proposals to reform the euro zone as agreed in their coalition deal. Merkel’s conservatives want to restrict her room for maneuver ... More »
BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are restricting her room for maneuver on euro zone reform, documents seen by Reuters show, which could further frustrate French President Emmanuel Macron who visits Berlin later this week. A dra... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar weakened on Monday and headed towards a two-week low against a basket of rivals on growing signs of relief that a U.S.-led strike on Syria would not escalate further at a time when concerns over a trade war has rattled global mark... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc in parliament are seeking to limit her room for maneuver on euro zone reform, a draft proposal seen ahead of her meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday showed. In the... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar bounced against the yen on Tuesday, with broader risk appetite improving after a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping promising to cut import tariffs eased concerns about a trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank should be “cautious” and avoid tightening its ultra-loose monetary policy too fast to avoid derailing a rebound in euro zone inflation, the ECB’s outgoing vice president Vitor Constancio said on Monday. “Inflatio... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The European Central Bank does not need to adapt its monetary policy after recent weakness in some euro zone economic indicators, ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said on Monday. Speaking on France Info radio, Coeure said that the eco... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Euro zone inflation appears to have disconnected from growth and remains subdued even as the currency bloc’s economy expands rapidly, European Central Bank chief economist Peter Praet said. “However, the ongoing economic expansion is expe... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Spooked by brewing trade tensions and a broad reversal in technology shares, global investors have cut their equity exposure to a four-month low this month while reducing their holdings of U.S. stocks to the lowest in nearly two years. Reute... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British investors rattled by global trade tensions are holding equity exposure near four-month lows, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday, though they see emerging market assets as benefiting from dollar weakness. Reuters’ latest monthly asset ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – European investors have raised their bond allocations in March while keeping their equity exposure at six-month lows, in a month marked by a sharp tech sector selloff and brewing trade tensions that threatened to dent world economic growth. ... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone leaders gave fresh impetus on Friday to reforms to make the bloc more resilient to economic crises, with renewed pledges to complete a banking union and develop a bailout fund after months of delay in the absence of a German gove... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Germany’s new finance minister said on Friday after talks with his French counterpart that he wanted to be a force for further integration in the euro zone in conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, wh... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday denied striking an agreement with France to delay the planned proposal of euro zone reforms at a summit of European leaders this month “I have never said anything about delays,” Merkel told a joint n... More »
FILE PHOTO: A picture illustration of Euro banknotes, April 25, 2014. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) – The euro gained on Monday and the dollar dropped as last week’s strong U.S. jobs numbers and receding fears over a trade war hel... More »
France’s President Emmanuel Macron (R) speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they gather for a family photo during a High Level Conference on the Sahel at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, February 23, 2018. REUTERS/John Thys/Pool BERLIN (... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi holds a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank dropped a long-standing pledge on Thursday to increa... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi holds a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Political deadlock in Italy following inconclusive elections has caused few wi... More »
European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi and Vice President Vitor Constancio arrive for a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski FRANKFURT, (Reuters) – The European Central Bank dropped a ... More »
A man casts his vote at a polling station in Milan, Italy March 4, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini ROME (Reuters) – Two anti-establishment leaders made early plays to govern Italy on Monday, triggering concern in the euro zone following an inconclusive electi... More »
5-Star Movement founder Beppe Grillo (L) speaks next leader Luigi Di Maio during the finally rally ahead of the March 4 elections in downtown Rome, Italy, March 2, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile ROME (Reuters) – The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement has emerged a... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Italy’s election outcome could lead to pressure on Italian and other southern euro zone bonds but should not be a “sustained negative” for the euro or regional stock markets, asset manager BlackRock said on Monday. Richard Turnill, global ch... More »
The famous skyline with its banking district is pictured as a rescue helicopter flies by in Frankfurt early evening April 13, 2015. The European Central Bank’s governing council will meet in Frankfurt on Wednesday, April 15. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach LONDON, (Re... More »
A man casts his vote at a polling station in Milan, Italy March 4, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini ROME (Reuters) – Italy faces a prolonged period of political instability after voters delivered a hung parliament on Sunday, spurning traditional parties and fl... More »
A man waits to enter to cast his vote at a polling station in Rome, Italy, March 4, 2018. REUTERS/Max Rossi (Reuters) – Italy faces a prolonged period of political instability after voters delivered a hung parliament in Sunday’s election, spurning traditional ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Investors dumped Italy’s government bonds on Monday and rushed to buy high-grade equivalents such as German Bunds after the weekend Italian election saw a surge in support for anti-establishment parties, led by the 5-Star Movement. Italy fac... More »
Traders work at Frankfurt’s stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, February 6, 2018. Picture taken with a fisheye lens. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski LONDON (Reuters) – The revival of Germany’s grand coalition should aid stability and keep the euro zone’s plans for ti... More »
FILE PHOTO: A Japan Yen note is seen in this illustration photo taken June 1, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo TOKYO (Reuters) – The yen surged against the dollar on Friday after Bank of Japan Haruhiko Kuroda said the central bank will consid... More »
Greece will need a financial "safety net" after its bailout ends in August and should consider a precautionary support program, the central bank governor said on Monday. More »
