Vespasianus
Princeps thermarum
Lending growth to euro zone companies and households held steady last month while a broader measure of money circulating, often an indicator of future activity, rose past expectations, data from the European Central Bank showed on Tuesday.
Lending to companies grew by 1.9 percent year-on-year in August while household lending grew by 1.8 percent, both unchanged from July's reading.
The annual growth rate of the M3 measure of money circulating in the euro zone, which has in the past predicted economic activity, rose to 5.1 percent from an upwardly revised 4.9 percent in July, beating expectations for a 4.9 percent reading.
In a hopeful sign for credit growth, banks took up twice as much in free ECB loans last week than expected, suggesting that credit demand, supported by record-low interest rates, is expected to increase.
Growth in M3, which includes items such as deposits with longer maturities, holdings in money market funds and some debt securities, peaked at 5.4 percent in April 2015 and has hovered around 5 percent since.
(Reuters)
Lending to companies grew by 1.9 percent year-on-year in August while household lending grew by 1.8 percent, both unchanged from July's reading.
The annual growth rate of the M3 measure of money circulating in the euro zone, which has in the past predicted economic activity, rose to 5.1 percent from an upwardly revised 4.9 percent in July, beating expectations for a 4.9 percent reading.
In a hopeful sign for credit growth, banks took up twice as much in free ECB loans last week than expected, suggesting that credit demand, supported by record-low interest rates, is expected to increase.
Growth in M3, which includes items such as deposits with longer maturities, holdings in money market funds and some debt securities, peaked at 5.4 percent in April 2015 and has hovered around 5 percent since.
(Reuters)