Economy
Greece expects review to be completed by May 1 despite IMF objections
In a non-paper released on Thursday night, the Finance Ministry provided an update on the progress made so far in the first programme review.
Tax arrears increase by 2.76 bln in first two months of 2016, reach total of 86.9 bln
Greece’s new unpaid taxes increased by 1.46 billion euros in January and by 1.3 billion in February, General Secretariat of Information Systems (GSIS) data showed on Thursday.
Unemployment rate resumes upward trend to 24.4 pct in Jan
Greece’s seasonally adjusted (SA) unemployment rate edged up to 24.4 percent in January from 24.3 percent in December, Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) labour force survey showed on Thursday.
Trade deficit rises 14.3 pct in Feb as exports fall for 10th month
Greece’s trade deficit increased by 14.3 percent in February after declining in the three previous months, Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) figures showed on Thursday.
Greece seeks to finalise 1 pct of GDP in new tax measures to close review
The Greek government appears to have prepared proposals for a range of tax measures to discuss with the mission chiefs in Athens as efforts to close the programme review intensify.
Four in 10 Greek firms thinking about moving abroad, survey shows
A survey conducted by Endeavor Greece, the Greek subsidiary of the global non-profit organization, showed 39 percent of Greek companies are considering transferring their headquarters and/or operations outside Greece.
Greek tourism's long-term growth prospects are good, report shows
The direct contribution of travel and tourism to Greek GDP reached 13.3 billion euros (7.6 percent) in 2015 and is estimated to fall by 0.5 percent to 13.2 billion in 2016, according to the annual economic report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
Range of issues unresolved as programme talks resume in Athens
The Greek government and the mission chiefs representing its lenders are scheduled to resume discussions on the first programme review in Athens on Monday afternoon after a two-week break for Catholic Easter.
Greek corporate lending rates up to 250 bps higher than eurozone average
Greek households’ new time deposit rate fell by 10 basis points (bps) to 0.91 percent in February after remaining broadly stable in the preceding two months, Bank of Greece (BoG) figures showed on Monday.
Greek stocks advance 2.6 pct for second straight week on improved investor sentiment
The Greek stock market headed north for the second straight week rising by 2.6 percent from 1.5 percent in the previous week amid increased optimism that an agreement with institutions on the first programme review would be reached in the next few weeks.