Economy
Athens hopes for next bailout tranche as first phase of review talks conclude
The Greek government goes into Thursday’s meeting of the Eurogroup Working Group (EWG) hoping that it has done enough to secure the next bailout tranche, bringing the third review to an official conclusion.
New measures to ease capital controls, lift restrictions on opening bank accounts
Additional measures to ease the capital controls in place in Greece since 2015 were announced by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Wednesday.
Athens sees progress during first days of fourth review talks
The Greek government believes that discussions regarding the fourth review, which began in Athens this week, are progressing well.
Retail sales rise by 2.2 pct in December, average growth of 1.7 pct in 2017
Greece’s retail sales rose by 2.2 percent year-on-year in December after November’s upwardly revised decline of 1.4 percent, according to data published by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) on Wednesday.
Deposits turn negative in Jan with outflows of 1.40 bln
Net deposit movement in the Greek banking system turned negative in January with outflows of 1.40 billion euros compared to positive inflows of 2.54 billion euros in December, Bank of Greece (BoG) figures revealed on Tuesday.
Credit contraction at 0.8 pct in January as household, corporate lending falls
Credit contraction in the Greek market remained unchanged at 0.8 percent in January, staying static for a fourth month, Bank of Greece (BoG) figures showed on Tuesday.
Economic sentiment at 104.3 pts in Feb, consumer confidence falls by 2 pts
Greece’s economic sentiment (ESI) continued to strengthen in February, increasing by 2.4 points to 104.3 compared to a reading of 101.9 in January, European Commission (EC) figures revealed on Tuesday.
BoG looks at other programme exits and options available to Athens
Over the last few weeks Greece’s central bank governor, Yannis Stournaras, has been arguing that the Greek government should explore all options for the post-programme era, including a precautionary credit line.
Budget primary surplus confirmed at 1.85 bln in January
The budget primary balance was confirmed at a surplus of 1.85 billion euros in the first month of 2018, beating the forecast by 1.13 billion euros, the Finance Ministry (MoF) final budget execution bulletin revealed on Monday.
Fourth review begins, with Athens and creditors also focussing on post-MoU era
Discussions on the fourth review began in Athens on Monday, with the Greek government and its lenders facing many issues to contend with over the coming weeks.