Tag Archives: European bank credit

The improvement and better access to credit bodes well for investment spending in the euro area as we move into 2018.Small and medium-sized entreprises (SMEs) are crucial for the euro area economy. They constitute about 99% of all euro area firms, employ around 70% of the workforce, and generate around 60% of value added. Their economic importance is above the euro area average in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. Unlike large firms, which have access to alternative sources of finance, such...

The ECB’s scheme of negative interest rate loans to banks has also helped boost inflation in the euro area.The fourth and final of the ECB’s Targeted Long-Term Refinancing Operations (TLTRO) today attracted EUR233bn in demand from 474 euro area banks, well above consensus (EUR110bn). Expectations of an ECB deposit rate hike may have boosted demand for this operation, as it provided a last opportunity for banks to secure four-year funding at a rate that can go as low as -0.40%.There is no...