Economy
Bonds enjoy great buoyancy but remain some distance from investment grade
Greece’s borrowing costs have enjoyed an unprecedented period of buoyancy this year, which included the benchmark 10-year bond yield dropping from 4.4 percent in early 2019 to marginally below 2 percent yesterday.
Privatisation agency chief identifies key targets for coming months
The CEO of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), Aris Xenofos, has outlined plans to move ahead with several privatisations that have been pending recently.
Budget primary surplus confirmed at 381 mln in June
The budget primary balance recorded a surplus of 381 million euros in the first six months of 2019, compared to a deficit of 46 million noted in June 2018, the Finance Ministry (MoF) budget execution bulletin confirmed on Thursday.
Deposits rise by 1.77 bln in June
Net deposit movement in the Greek banking system stayed positive by 1.77 billion euros after a smaller increase of 561.6 million euros in May, Bank of Greece (BoG) figures revealed on Wednesday.
Credit contraction stays at 0.2 pct in Jun, balance at 161.16 bln
Credit contraction in the Greek market stayed at 0.2 percent in June, unchanged from May, Bank of Greece (BoG) figures showed on Wednesday.
Finance Ministry faces balancing act as it starts to draft 2020 budget
The Finance Ministry is getting down to the business of drafting the first version of the 2020 budget, which will have to achieve the key economic goals pledged by New Democracy but also satisfy Greece’s lenders.
Disposable income rises by 4.9 pct YoY in Q1, final consumption up by 0.2 pct
Greek household disposable income grew by 4.9 percent year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter (Q1) of 2019, notably increasing from the rise of 1.7 percent noted in the previous quarter, according to Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data released on Tuesday.
Hatzidakis announces strategy for partial privatisation of PPC
The government has announced its plans for rescuing the state power corporation, the Public Power Corporation (PPC) and save it from collapse.
Travel balance up by 7.8 pct in May, aggregate visitors edge down 0.9 pct
Greece’s travel balance rose to 1.36 billion euros in May from 200.3 million euros in April, Bank of Greece (BoG) data has shown. This reflects an annual rise of 7.8 percent.
New Democracy tax pledges put spotlight on available fiscal space
Following the announcement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday of immediate tax cuts, with others to follow, focus is turning to the government’s ability to find the fiscal space necessary to implement the measures while also meeting the primary surplus target for this year and 2020.