The German ZEW sentiment index on Tuesday painted a dire picture, with the assessment of the current situation now almost as bad as it was at the beginning of the Covid pandemic in spring 2020. ZEW head Achim Wambach said “the hope for a swift improvement in the economic situation is visibly fading.” For Centeno, … Read more
The numbers add fresh economic concerns to the political ones that have rattled markets in the last two weeks. The benchmark Stoxx 600 stock index fell 0.8 percent, while 10-year government bond yields fell by around 0.05 percentage point in both France and Germany. The unexpected slowdown challenges assumptions by the European Central Bank and … Read more
Thursday’s decision will mark the first time in over two decades that it will have lowered borrowing costs in response to a classical easing of inflation pressures, rather than a financial catastrophe hitting the currency union. As such, Lagarde, who has often been criticized for lacking central banking expertise, has won a major battle. But … Read more
Slower growth comes on the back of households counting the pennies as they are confronted with higher borrowing rates and decreasing state help to cover energy costs, which shot up after Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago. “After a bruising 2023, the European economy has emerged a little weaker than expected, although the rebound should … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. FRANKFURT — On the global stage, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde still exudes the air of an international rockstar of finance, but back home her records just won’t sell. Most participants in a trade union survey of ECB staff, seen by POLITICO, said … Read more
Last ditch talks between the EU’s finance ministers planned for Wednesday on an overhaul of the EU’s public spending rules look set to fall short amid continued disagreement between Germany, France and Italy, according to officials in Brussels. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and his German counterpart, Christian Lindner, will face the press on … Read more
