Spain’s plan to rid banks of toxic real estate assets is reviving the politically heated debate over how creditors and taxpayers should share the vast losses still being incurred by the Euro zone debt crisis. Nowhere is the issue in sharper relief than in Ireland.
Europe is at risk of a Japanese-style “Lost Decade” of low economic growth, weak consumer spending, poor company investment and tougher borrowing conditions, the Dutch central bank said on Thursday.
Spain's jobs-scarce economy plunged back into recession in the first quarter of 2012 as employment slumped even further, the Bank of Spain said on Monday. Barely two years after emerging from the last downturn Spain slid into recession again with two consecutive quarters of economic contraction the central bank said in a report.
The Euro zone's economy is heading into its second recession in just three years, while the wider European Union will stagnate, the EU executive said, warning that the currency area has yet to break its vicious cycle of debt.
Euro zone inflation eased from last year's peaks of 3.0% in December, the first sign of a fall in price growth this year that analysts expect will create room for more interest rate cuts to help the weakening economy.
European Central Bank has named Belgian executive board member Peter Praet as its chief economist following the resignation of Juergen Stark.
Europe's banks borrowed nearly 490 billion Euros from the European Central Bank at its first-ever offer of three-year loans on Wednesday, encouraging demand for the Euro and stocks on hopes the funding will ease the two-year old debt crisis.
European summit deal to strengthen budget discipline in the Euro zone failed to restore financial market confidence on Monday, forcing the European Central Bank to step in again gingerly.
The European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter of a point Thursday to counter the twin threats of recession and deflation in the Euro zone, and is expected to unveil fresh measures to help banks hurt by the bloc's debt crisis.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated Thursday her opposition to a greater role for the European Central Bank in helping to solve the Euro zone debt crisis, saying political action was required.