Eurozone
IMF flags potential scarcity of sovereign bonds in Europe
‘Selected issues paper’ warns a shrinking pool of securities could ‘pose challenges’ to the implementation of the ECB’s quantitative easing programme
ECB bulletin: Too early to tell if inflation has turned a corner
Inflation in the eurozone appears to be moving upwards, but strip away transitory factors and the picture becomes much more blurry
Varoufakis reveals covert plan for parallel Greek currency
Secret plan to create payment system using accounts attached to Greek tax numbers was designed to be activated if the country came close to exiting the euro
BIS statistics show divergent outlook for credit flows
Contraction in cross-border claims on emerging markets more than offset by growing flows to developed economies, although there are considerable disparities between countries and regions
ECB raises concerns over Greece’s draft resolution law
Hastily assembled legal opinion on draft law warns of possible detrimental effects on the Bank of Greece, including impact on independence, increased liability and ‘operational burden’
Greece uses bridge loan to repay IMF and ECB
Loan received today used immediately to repay debts, while government works to unlock full bailout; Ben Bernanke joins debate with criticism of German trade surplus
ECB lifts veil on ELA as it raises Greek cap
No action on monetary policy but governing council extends further lifeline to Greek banks; Draghi admits policy of keeping emergency liquidity secret is unnecessary in a systemic crisis
ECB’s Mersch calls for stricter convergence in eurozone
Executive board member says convergence should be more strongly enforced, as this could help pave way for common decisions in some areas of fiscal policy
IMF calls for Greek debt relief ‘far beyond’ EU plans
Memo warns public debt is ‘highly unsustainable’ and European leaders will need to provide much greater debt relief than they have discussed up to this point
Greek bank holiday sparks swaps contract chaos
Extended bank closure leaves derivatives payments by end-users in limbo
ECB survey shows further recovery in bank credit in Q2
European Central Bank publishes latest bank lending survey, which reveals an increase in the share of banks reporting greater demand for loans to enterprises in the eurozone
European leaders strike Greek deal but hurdles remain
All-night session ends in Greece agreeing to a tough reform package, but finance ministers continue to debate possible bridge financing and national parliaments must still give green light
ECB rolls out new website
Central bank revamps website with new design that puts greater emphasis on images, graphs and statistics; builds on bank supervision site launched in November
Greek crisis enters critical weekend
Negotiations enter final days, with European authorities scrambling to assess whether new proposals go far enough; Greece has backers, but Germany must still be persuaded
De Grauwe says Greek crisis has shaken OMT credibility
Belgian economist says ECB’s decision not to use OMTs because of fears over Greek solvency may have fatally damaged the policy’s credibility and consequently the stability of the eurozone
Irish SME report shows growth in new lending
Report published by Central Bank of Ireland shows annualised gross new lending at highest level since 2011, with the largest share channelled to the agricultural sector
Central banks cannot avoid fiscal impact, Bundesbank panellists warn
Academics and central bankers point to fiscal impact of monetary policy and lender of last resort function, raising the question of how much fiscal power central banks ought to wield
Greece asks for three-year ESM bailout as Tsipras tries to unite Europe
Government submits request for longer support programme than previous proposals while Alexis Tsipras seeks backing during rowdy European Parliament session
ECB paper finds periphery most affected by credit shortage
Peripheral economies appear to suffer a greater slowdown of productivity than their northern neighbours when facing a squeeze on credit, research published by the ECB finds
Greece set to request new ESM bailout
Greece expected to submit new proposal to ESM in effort to unlock bailout funds; ECB appears to increase haircuts on collateral used by Greek banks to obtain emergency liquidity
European leaders to meet as Greeks scramble to produce new proposals
Heads of state and finance ministers to meet on July 7, with Greek government expected to present new proposals; chief negotiator takes over as finance minister
Varoufakis out as Greeks vote No
Greek finance minister steps down despite 62.5% of voters backing the government’s position by rejecting the latest proposals; Eurogroup says ball in Greece’s court
Minutes show ECB happy to ‘look through’ volatility
Governing council carefully considered market volatility including the increase in government bond yields in June meeting, concluding it had not ‘materially altered’ economic outlook
Greek PM offers concessions but backs referendum
Leaked letter suggests Alex Tsipras is willing to accept many of the latest proposals in exchange for a new bailout programme; European leaders awaiting outcome of July 5 referendum