Economy
Airport privatisation set for take-off as more sales head for runway
The privatisation of the Athens International Airport (AIA) moved forward a step this week when the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) announced that 10 investment schemes expressed interest in the first phase of acquiring a 30 percent stake in the airport currently held by HRADF.
Loan interest drops to 4.59 pct in September
The overall weighted average interest rate on all new loans to households and non-financial corporations came to 4.59 percent in September, down 9 basis points (bps) from the rate of 4.68 noted in August, data from the Bank of Greece (BoG) showed on Thursday.
Retail turnover increases by 1.2 pct in August, volume edges up by 0.8 pct
Greece’s retail sales index increased by 1.2 percent in August, following a revised decrease of 1.9 percent in July, Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data showed on Thursday.
Latest T-bill auction highlights shift in Greek yield curve
The flow of positive news in Greece’s sovereign debt market continues as the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) announced the results of Wednesday’s 26-week T-Bill auction in which the yield dropped to zero.
Economic sentiment eases to 106.7 in Oct, industry and construction confidence improve
Greece’s economic sentiment (ESI) dropped by 0.5 points in October to reach 106.7 points, European Commission (EC) figures showed on Wednesday.
Credit contraction at 0.5 pct in Sept, balance at 157.28 bln
Credit contraction in the Greek market came to 0.5 percent in September from 0.1 percent in August, Bank of Greece (BoG) figures showed on Tuesday.
Deposits drop by 622 mln in Sept after six months of inflows
Net deposit movement in the Greek banking system turned negative by 622 million in September following inflows of 1.02 billion in August, Bank of Greece (BoG) figures revealed on Tuesday.
Sept budget primary surplus confirmed at 4.47 bln, well above target
The budget primary balance recorded a surplus of 4.47 billion euros in the first nine months of 2019, compared to a surplus of 2.53 billion noted in September 2018, according to the Finance Ministry (MoF) budget execution bulletin for the month.
Athens hopes IMF prepayment go-ahead aids case for lower fiscal targets
The Greek government is hoping to get the all-clear from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) on Monday to make a loan pre-payment to the International Monetary Fund, a move which Athens hopes will boost its chances of convincing its creditors to lower its fiscal targets for the coming years.
Greece falls to 79 out of 190 economies in ease of doing business ranking
The latest Doing Business Indicators report for 2020 by the World Bank Group has shown that Greece fell to number 79 out of 190 economies worldwide.