eurozone

eurozone Articles

ThinkstockThe European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) was established to provide a financial backstop to potential sovereign debt default among eurozone nations. Backed by guarantees, primarily...
ThinkstockIn its latest assault on sovereign debt ratings, Fitch Ratings has downgraded France’s default rating from ‘AAA’ to ‘AA+’ with a Stable outlook. Fitch is jointly owned (50% each)...
ThinkstockThe European Union’s (EU) statistical agency, Eurostat, reported this morning that industrial production in May for the 17 countries of the eurozone fell by 0.3% month-over-month and by...
ThinkstockIt is a shame that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) can only suggest solutions to the European financial crisis and the devastation of jobs and economic recession that has come in its...
ThinkstockPurchasing managers index (PMI) data for the eurozone continued to be awful in June, although research firm Markit reported that numbers got slightly better. The improvement was no cause...
ThinkstockBy way of contrast, during the depths of the U.S. recession, unemployment peaked at 10.1%. Eurostat announced that May unemployment in the euro area hit 12.1% in May, staggering given the...
ThinkstockGermany did not join the parade of European Union (EU) nations which showed very, very modest improvements in manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI). France, Spain and Italy continue...
ThinkstockMarkit issued manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) numbers for June for France, Italy and Spain. The figures painted a picture of a region still in recession with some modest...
ThinkstockIn a sign of a loss of confidence in the balance sheets of some of the European Union’s largest banks, interbank lending has fallen among large financial firms. The falloff of this...
ThinkstockLess than five years ago, economic Armageddon appeared at the door. Lehman Brothers failed. Merrill Lynch was sold to Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co....
ThinkstockA stalled French economy continues to bleed jobs as another 45,100 job seekers joined the nearly 3.1 million French citizens already looking for work in October. The total number of...
ThinkstockIn a snap election announced just a few weeks ago, voters in the Spanish region of Catalonia have given a clear majority of votes to parties seeking referendum on independence from Spain....
We noted earlier today that Moody’s Investors Service had some cautionary words on Germany’s banking system. Fitch Ratings has similar, if more general concerns. Following yesterday’s summit...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met briefly today before a summit meeting of eurozone leaders to discuss the role of the banking supervisor that is to be...
Fitch Ratings today bestowed a ‘AAA’ rating on the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) that began its operations today and replaced the temporary European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF)....