THERE is a lot of criticism of the German government in the press at the moment, particularly in Britain. A Guardian columnist described Angela Merkel as the most monstrous Western European leader of this generation which rather takes the breath away when coming from a liberal newspaper. Merkel has called on voters to beware the anti-immigrant movement Pegida; Syriza, which the same columnist praises as "the politics of hope" has gone into coalition with an anti-immigrant and anti-semitic nationalist party.
Easing means squeezing
EUROPEAN bankers depressed by the miasma in Athens might cheer up a bit if they focused on news from Frankfurt instead. The recent unveiling by the European Central Bank (ECB) of a €1.1 trillion ($1.25 trillion) package of “quantitative easing” (QE)—the printing of money to purchase vast quantities of bonds—should be as heartwarming for them as a resurgence of the euro crisis is chilling.
Greece Steps Back Into Line With European Union Policy on Russia Sanctions
BRUSSELS — Gathering in Brussels, European foreign ministers scrambled on Thursday to hold a united front against Russia over Ukraine, calming worries that the election of a far-left government in Greece hostile to sanctions could upend Europe’s policy toward Moscow.
ECB easing pushes European equities to 7-year high, euro sinks
(Reuters) - European stocks hit seven-year highs on Friday, continuing a rally ignited by the European Central Bank's plan for massive regional economic stimuli that also knocked the euro to 11-year lows.
European consumer prices drop more than expected
Consumer prices fell more than economists forecast in January, underlining the challenges Mario Draghi faces as he seeks to stave off a deflationary spiral. The annual inflation rate fell to minus 0.6 per cent, matching the biggest decline in prices in the history of the single currency. The drop exceeded economists’ estimates for a 0.5 per cent slump.
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