Economy
Banks’ EFSF bonds QE eligible but with little impact on liquidity
A European Stability Mechanism (ESM) spokesman confirmed on Friday that the restrictions on outright selling of EFSF bonds held by Greek banks have been lifted.
Banks lead Friday rebound to take Greek stocks up by 2.3 pct during week
The Greek equity market rebounded by 4.9 percent on Friday, leading to weekly gains of 2.3 percent as earlier losses were eclipsed.
Budget primary surplus of 2.68 bln in first quarter, but March trims outperformance
Greece’s budget primary surplus climbed to 2.68 billion in the first quarter of 2016 from 1.73 billion last year, the Finance Ministry (MoF) preliminary budget bulletin showed on Friday.
Eurosystem funding drops by another 2.8 bln to 101.4 bln in March
Greek banks’ Eurosystem funding fell for the ninth successive month in March at an accelerating pace of 2.78 billion euros after dropping by 1.86 billion in February, Bank of Greece's (BoG) monthly financial statement showed on Wednesday.
S&P highlights risks for Greek banking sector
Greek banks still face higher economic risks than most banking sectors globally, while the country’s economic prospects remain highly uncertain, S&P notes in its latest report on local lenders released on Wednesday evening.
IMF sees 0.6 pct primary deficit in 2015, lowers debt forecast below 180 pct
In its latest Fiscal Monitor report, the IMF refrained from providing its estimates on Greece’s public finances for 2016 onwards due to ongoing negotiations with the Greek government and the European partners.
Greek tax wedge remained far above OECD average in 2015
The tax wedge in Greece remained well above the OECD average in 2015, according to the OECD Taxing Wages 2016 report released on Tuesday.
Greek ministers still hopeful of reaching deal with creditors this month
Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, Labour Minister Giorgos Karougalos and Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis gave a joint press briefing on Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on the state of negotiations with the institutions.
![Photo via IMF photostream on Flickr [https://www.flickr.com/photos/imfphoto/]](resources/toolip/img-thumb/2014/08/11/imf_439_1108-medium.jpg "Photo via IMF photostream on Flickr [https://www.flickr.com/photos/imfphoto/]")
IMF sees contraction of 0.6 pct this year before strong rebound in 2017
The International Monetary Fund has provided its latest macro forecasts for Greece in the World Economic Outlook (WEO) published on Tuesday.
Building activity down 18.8 pct in January, permits hit new low
Greek building permits fell by 18.8 percent in January after rising by 5.1 percent in December, Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) figures showed on Tuesday.