Economy
Greek primary cash surplus more than doubles to 2.45 bln at end of August
The Greek general government (gg) primary cash surplus more than doubled year on year (YoY) reaching 2.45 billion euros in the 8-month period of 2014 from 1.17 billion last year, according the gg bulletin released by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on Friday.
ECB plans for ABS, covered bonds purchases leaves doubts for Greek banks
The European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi confirmed in a press conference on Thursday that assset-backed Securities (ABSs) and covered bonds from Greece and Cyprus, which until now have not been eligible as collateral with the Frankfurt-based lender, will now be "subject to specific rules with risk-mitigating measures.”
A snapshot of Greek banks' ABS as ECB readies for next move
The European Central Bank (ECB) announced on September 4 that it will proceed with a large-scale purchase of asset-backed securities (ABS) as well as euro-denominated covered bonds issued by eurozone banks starting from October.
Greece's troika talks begin with apparent deal on 2015 surplus
In contrast to previous first meetings between the Greek authorities and the heads of troika mission, the outcome of Tuesday’s inaugural meeting suggests an initial agreement on the fiscal target for 2015.
Greek time deposit rates fall further in August
The interest rate on households’ new time deposits dropped by a further 15 basis points (bps) to 2.13 percent in August, according to the Bank of Greece (BoG).
Greek PMI drops into contraction territory in September, falling to 48.4 points
Greece’s Manufacturing PMI dropped 1.7 points to 48.4 in September from 50.1 in August, according to Markit.
Troika review begins with fiscal targets and tax breaks in focus
The troika begins its latest review of the Greek program on Tuesday, just six days before the 2015 draft budget is due to be submitted to Parliament. The focus is on what fiscal targets the government will have and what tax breaks it will be able to offer.
Greek economic sentiment and consumer confidence fall for third month in a row
Greece’s economic sentiment (ESI) decreased for the third successive month at an accelerating pace, falling to 99.3 in September from 102 in August, according to the European Commission (EC).
Value of HFSF participation in Greek banks falls to 17 billion
The publication of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) interim financial report for the first half (H1) of 2014 showed a loss of 3.51 billion entirely due to accounting loss (unrealized capital loss) of 3.5 billion stemming from its bank holdings and warrants.
Greek wages index falls 1 pct in Q2, down 23.8 pct since 2010
After a short-lived year on year (YoY) rise of 2 percent in Q1, the seasonally adjusted Wages Index fell 1 percent in Q2, while it remained stable quarter on quarter (QoQ), according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).