Euro zone May retail sales rise more than expected

Guardian (Jul 3 - 11:01 GMT)

Retail sales in the euro zone rose more than expected in May, data showed, but analysts saw the jump in the volatile indicator as unlikely to point to improving health for a slowing economy burdened by inflation. read

Euro zone services contract as Spain sinks-PMI

Guardian (Jul 3 - 10:20 GMT)

The euro zone's services economy fell further into contraction in June than previously thought as Spanish activity sank deeper into recession, while inflationary pressures jumped, a survey showed on Thursday. read

Euro zone may PPI up 1.2% vs April, up 7.1% year-on-year

ReutersFXHub (Jul 2 - 09:00 GMT)

Euro zone producer prices rose 1.2 percent compared to April and were up 7.1 percent year-on-year, EU statistics office Eurostat said. read

ECB takes flak on rates as France takes EU helm

Guardian (Jul 1 - 11:29 GMT)

The European Central Bank faced renewed pressure to think twice about raising interest rates as France took over the EU presidency for six months on Tuesday, with Nicolas Sarkozy leading the charge. read

German June Unemployment Falls to Lowest in 16 Years

Bloomberg (Jul 1 - 10:58 GMT)

Germany's unemployment rate declined to the lowest level in almost 16 years in June, as Europe's largest economy resists a global slowdown. read

Euro-zone June manufacturing PMI falls to 49.2

MarketWatch (Jul 1 - 09:55 GMT)

A purchasing managers index for the euro-zone manufacturing sector came in slightly better than expected, but still signaled a contraction in activity in June, news reports said. read

Euro zone inflation soars to 4.0 pct, all-time high

Forbes (Jun 30 - 09:32 GMT)

Euro zone inflation jumped to a new record high of 4.0 percent year-on-year in June, data showed on Monday, cementing expectations that the European Central Bank will raise rates this week despite slowing growth. read

Trichet Sides With ECB's Inflation Hawks, Risking Weaker Growth

Bloomberg (Jun 30 - 07:30 GMT)

For all his talk of consensus, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet is having to acknowledge he can't please all of the people all of the time. read

Euro area May M3 growth unchanged at 10.5 pct year-on-year

Forbes (Jun 26 - 09:39 GMT)

Euro area M3 grew 10.5 percent year-on-year in May, unchanged from April and in line with the forecast by economists polled by Thomson Financial News. read

Euro zone April orders much stronger than expected

Guardian (Jun 25 - 11:03 GMT)

Euro zone industrial new orders were much stronger than expected in April, likely reinforcing the ECB's view the economy was sound and that it could go ahead with an rate rise to anchor price expectations. read

Euro hits 11-mth high vs yen, dlr awaits Fed

Guardian (Jun 24 - 11:39 GMT)

The euro gained broadly on Tuesday, hitting an 11-month high versus the yen, as stronger than expected French data backed expectations of a European Central Bank interest rate hike next week. read

EU's Bajuk says ECB should keep options open

Guardian (Jun 24 - 11:30 GMT)

The European Central Bank must keep all its options open when it comes to dealing with inflation, Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk said on Tuesday. read

Inflation worries cloud German consumer outlook

Guardian (Jun 24 - 06:50 GMT )

German consumers are likely to be less ready to spend money in July as concerns grow about the impact of rising energy bills, clouding the outlook for Europe's largest economy, a report by market research firm GfK showed. read

European Industries Shrink, German Business Confidence Declines

Bloomberg (Jun 23 - 12:13 GMT)

Europe's manufacturing and services industries unexpectedly shrank and German business confidence slumped in June, increasing concern the European Central Bank's plan to raise interest rates next month will hurt economic growth.

Italy 1Q Adj Jobless Up At 6.5% On Youth Unemployment

Fxstreet.com (Jun 19 - 10:09 GMT)

Italian seasonally-adjusted unemployment rose against expectations to 6.5% in the first quarter from an upwardly revised 6.2% in the fourth quarter of 2007, as unemployment continued to grow in most regions and among young people, statistics office Istat said Thursday. read

Euro zone April trade surplus 2.3 bln euros vs deficit 1.5 bln euros in March Thomson FXHub (Jun 17 - 09:00 GMT)

The euro zone posted a provisional unadjusted trade surplus of 2.3 billion euros in April compared with a revised deficit of 1.5 billion in March, EU statistics office Eurostat said. read

Euro could feel heat from Irish referendum

MarketWatch (Jun 12 - 10:31 GMT)

Irish voters head to the polls Thursday to decide the fate of a controversial treaty designed to streamline how the European Union operates. read

Rise in euro zone output points to ECB rate hike

Reuters (Jun 12 - 10:20 GMT)

Euro zone industrial output rose more than expected in April, boding well for the currency area's fragile economic health and boosting expectations of an interest rate rise by the European Central Bank. read

ECB not preparing a series of rate rises, central banker says

Intl. Herald Tribune (Jun 11 - 09:10 GMT)

A European Central Bank Executive Board member, Jurgen Stark, said the bank is not preparing for a series of interest rate increases. read

ECB's Trichet Says Price Stability Is Vital for Jobs, Growth

Bloomberg (Jun 10 - 11:37 GMT)

ECB President Jean- Claude Trichet said controlling inflation is vital for supporting growth and job creation in the euro area. read

Zapatero should explain ECB criticism, Germany says

Guardian (Jun 9 - 11:06 GMT)

Germany urged Spain's prime minister on Monday to explain his criticism of the European Central Bank after he said ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet should be more prudent in his comments about interest rates. read

German Industrial Output Unexpectedly Drops on Manufacturing

Bloomberg ( Jun 6 - 10:01 GMT)

Industrial production in Germany, Europe's largest economy, unexpectedly declined for a second month in April, led by a drop in construction and manufacturing. read

ECB on high alert over high inflation-Trichet

Guardian (Jun 5 - 13:18 GMT)

The European Central Bank is in a state of heightened alertness on euro inflation, which is now expected to remain high for longer than previously thought, President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Thursday. read

Trichet Says ECB May Consider Raising Interest Rates Next Month

Bloomberg (Jun 5 - 13:13 GMT)

European Central Bank President Jean- Claude Trichet said policy makers may raise interest rates as soon as July after increasing the inflation forecast for this year and next. read

ECB Leaves Benchmark Rate at Six-Year High to Fight Inflation

Bloomberg (Jun 5 - 11:46 GMT)

The European Central Bank kept interest rates at a six-year high today to fight inflation even as the euro-region economy cools. read

German Factory Orders Unexpectedly Drop a Fifth Month

Bloomberg (Jun 5 - 11:07 GMT)

German manufacturing orders unexpectedly declined for a fifth month in April, adding to evidence that growth in Europe's largest economy is slowing. read

Euro zone retail sales fall in April

Guardian (Jun 4 - 09:13 GMT)

Euro zone retail trade declined more than expected in April, dragged down by falling sales of food, drinks and tobacco and poor figures in Germany, data showed on Wednesday in another sign of slowing economic growth. read

Euro zone services PMI near stagnation, prices up

Guardian (Jun 4 - 08:59 GMT)

Euro zone services activity slipped close to contraction in May, in line with expectations, as growth took a sharp hit in France, while inflationary pressures mounted, a key survey showed on Wednesday. read

Euro zone Q1 growth faster than expected, PPI jumps

Guardian (Jun 3 - 10:20 GMT)

The euro zone economy rebounded more strongly than previously expected in the first quarter against the previous three months, mainly thanks to rising investment and inventories, data showed on Tuesday. read

With joy and some gloating, ECB and euro are feted

Intl. Herald Tribune (Jun 2 - 22:00 GMT)

Top European officials on Monday celebrated the 10th anniversary of the European Central Bank, the institution responsible for the stability of the common European currency, in a ceremony heavy on economic prescriptions and light on rhetoric. read

Euro zone jobless numbers steady at 7.1%

RTE Business (May 30 - 11:59 GMT)

Unemployment in the euro zone was steady in April for the fourth month in a row at a record low of 7.1%, new EU data shows today. read

Euro zone inflation surges as economy slows

The Guardian (May 30 - 11:00 GMT)

Euro zone inflation surged back to a record 3.6 percent in May as new data pointed to a slowdown in the currency area, cementing expectations the European Central Bank will keep interest rates on hold this year. read

Italy preliminary May CPI up 0.5 pct vs April; up 3.6 pct year-on-year
Forbes (May 30 - 10:32 GMT)

Italy's consumer prices rose 3.6 percent year-on-year in May, lifted by a surge in transport, housing and energy costs, according to preliminary data released by the statistics office ISTAT. read

German Retail Sales Unexpectedly Dropped on Inflation

Bloomberg ( May 30 - 06:28 GMT)

Retail sales in Germany, Europe's largest economy, unexpectedly dropped for a second consecutive month in April as faster inflation left consumers with less money. read

Euro zone May economic sentiment indicator 97.1, unchanged from April Thomson FXHub ( May 29 - 09:00 GMT)

The European Commission said its euro zone economic sentiment indicator for May was unchanged from April at 97.1 read

German May adjusted jobless figure up 4,000 from April

Thomson FXHUB ( May 29 - 08:21 GMT )

The number of jobless people in Germany in May rose by around 4,000 from April in seasonally adjusted terms, the Labour Office said. read

German May preliminary CPI up 0.6 pct from April, up 3.0 pct year-on-year Thomson FXHub (May 28 - 13:03 GMT)

Consumer prices in Germany rose 0.6 percent in May from April and were up 3.0 percent from a year earlier, preliminary data from the Federal Statistics Office showed. read

Euro zone March current account deficit 15.3 bln euros

Forbes (May 28 - 09:27 GMT)

The euro zone seasonally adjusted current account showed a large deficit in March as the strength of the euro weighed on goods exports. read

Inflation Erodes Confidence of German Consumers, French Firms

Bloomberg (May 27 - 10:15 GMT)

Confidence among French executives and German consumers fell more than economists forecast as rising prices sapped purchasing power and raised production costs. read

German Construction Boosted First-Quarter Growth

Bloomberg (May 27 - 07:20 GMT)

German companies increased construction spending and investment in machinery the first quarter, fueling the fastest economic expansion in 12 years. read

Gonzalez-Paramo says banks not overdependent on ECB liquidity injections

Forbes (May 26 - 11:13 GMT)

European Central Bank board member Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo said European banks are not becoming overdependent on ECB liquidity injections. read

ECB's Papademos-oil prices pressure growth, inflation

Reuters (May 25 - 15:02 GMT)

Euro-zone inflation pressures have intensified due to rising oil prices, which are also dampening growth, European Central Bank Vice President Lucas Papademos said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday read

Euro Zone Manufacturing PMI Falls as Expected, Services Weaker than Forecast

CEP (May 23 - 09:00 GMT)

NTC Economics announced that the euro zone manufacturing PMI fell to 50.5 as expected in May from the 50.7 reading seen in April. read

Euro Zone Industrial New Orders Sees First Annualized Decline in Three Years

CEP (May 22 - 12:23 GMT)

According to data from Eurostat, the level of new orders declined 2.5% year-over-year following February's 9.9% jump. Economists had expected an increase of 4.8%. read

ECB's Weber Says Globalization May Be Major Inflation Driver

Bloomberg (May 22 - 10:15 GMT)

ECB governing council member Axel Weber said globalization may be one of the main contributors to ``heightened price pressures,'' rather than keeping a lid on prices. read

Soaring oil restrains stocks, Ifo boosts euro

Reuters (May 21 - 11:14 GMT)

A bullish economic outlook for Germany briefly supported European stocks, hit the dollar and weakened demand for euro zone government bonds. read

German investor sentiment falls for second month in a row, survey finds

Intl. Herald Tribune (May 20 - 11:04 GMT)

German investor confidence declined for a second straight month as rising inflation, the euro's near-record strength and high oil prices ate into expectations, a closely watched survey showed Tuesday. read

ECB's Trichet says worst of crisis may be ahead

Telegraph (May 19 - 09:30 GMT)

Jean-Claude Trichet, the head of the European Central Bank, has indicated that the worst of the credit crisis may not be behind us. read

Inflation Risks on Upside, Rates Should Help Curb Inflaton, Says ECB's Mersch

CEP (May 16 - 10:52 GMT)

Frankfurt - European Central Bank Governing Council member Yves Mersch said that, while inflation risks were on the upside, the current ECB rates would help limit prices rises. read

European Exports Drop as Euro Erodes Competitiveness

Bloomberg (May 16 - 09:48 GMT)

European exports declined in March as the euro's advance to a record against the dollar made the region's products less competitive abroad. read

Euro jumps on German GDP surprise; inflation, ECB comments next in focus

Forbes (May 15 - 10:10 GMT)

The euro stormed higher after a positive surprise from German growth figures, and looks set to remain sharply in focus with a packed day of news and data on the euro zone ahead, including testimony from two European Central Bank policymakers. read

EU praises ECB stance on interest rates

BusinessWeek (May 14 - 11:50 GMT)

The EU presidency praised the European Central Bank Wednesday for resisting a lowering of interest rates despite a slowing of economic growth in Europe. read

Europe sails into its own credit crunch

Reuters (May 14 - 10:38 GMT)

Europe is next in line to feel the impact from tighter credit, a tough situation for an economy heavily dependent on bank financing. read

French March current account deficit widens to 2.5 bln eur from 1 bln in Feb

Forbes (May 13 - 08:07 GMT)

France's current account showed a provisional, seasonally adjusted deficit of 2.5 billion euros in March compared with a revised deficit of 1.0 billion euros in February, the Bank of France said. read

ECB's Quaden Says Current Monetary Policy "Fully Appropriate"

CEP (May 12 - 12:15 GMT)

Speaking in Bucharest, Romania on Monday, European Central Bank Governing Council member Guy Quaden stated that the ECB's current monetary policy was "fully appropriate" and was not impeding economic growth in the euro zone. read

Euro rebounds as euro zone interest rate outlook remains unclear
Forbes (May 9 - 09:19 GMT)

The euro firmed against the dollar as markets continued to digest yesterday's European Central Bank interest rate decision and the lack of any signal that borrowing costs in the 15-nation currency zone will fall anytime soon. read

German Industrial Production Fell on Construction

Bloomberg (May 8 - 11:03 GMT)

Industrial production in Germany, Europe's largest economy, declined in March as cold and wet weather kept building sites shut and production of factory machinery fell. read

Euro hits 2-mth low vs dollar; ECB, Trichet eyed

Guardian (May 8 - 09:10 GMT)

The euro hit a two-month low against the dollar on Thursday, hurt by a report that U.S. and European officials want the dollar to strengthen, as markets awaited a European Central Bank rate decision and statement. read

German Exports Unexpectedly Fell as Euro Appreciated

Bloomberg (May 8 - 07:11 GMT)

Exports from Germany, Europe's largest economy, unexpectedly fell for a second month in March as a global slowdown and the euro's ascent weighed on orders. read

Weak euro zone retail sales point to econ slowdown

Guardian (May 7 - 10:14 GMT)

Euro zone retail sales were much weaker than expected in March, falling in monthly as well as annual terms and underlining concerns about the slowing economy. read

Soaring energy ups euro zone March producer prices

Reuters (May 6 - 10:59 GMT)

Soaring energy costs fuelled a steep increase in euro zone producer prices in March as expected, data showed on Tuesday, in yet another sign of high inflation in the single currency area. read

Euro Zone Services PMI Slightly Above Expectations After Mixed Country Results

CEP (May 6 - 09:20 GMT)

The final estimate for April’s euro zone services purchasing managers' index was released on Tuesday and came in at 52.0, slightly above both the preliminary estimate and the expected reading of 51.8. read

Spain, Italy, France and Germany all See Declines in April Manufacturing PMI

CEP News (May 2 10:58 GMT)

According to data from NTC Economics, the manufacturing purchases manager index for Spain and Italy, as well as the final manufacturing PMIs for France, Germany and the euro zone as a whole, came in at 45.2, 48.2, 51.1, 53.6 and 50.7 respectively for April. read

ECB can't win fight against dollar decline

Sydney Herald (May 1 - 10:19 GMT)

So now we know that when European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet talks about the danger of "sharp fluctuations'' in the currency market, he really means that his pain threshold for the euro's value is about $US1.60. read