Eurozone crisis

Greek private sector bank deposits dropped in February for the second consecutive month, central bank data showed on Thursday.
Businesses and household deposits declined to 132.18 billion euros ($148.76 billion) from 132.93 billion in January, Bank of Greece data showed.

The German Finance Ministry holds a negative view of the prospect of Greece paying off its debt to the International Monetary Fund early, according to a report in German financial newspaper Handelsblatt on Friday.

Former German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, widely regarded as the architect of austerity in eurozone crisis countries, said in an interview in the Financial Times on Friday that Greece should have taken a 10-year timeout from the bloc.

The economic recession in Greece in recent years has led to major cuts in education spending by both the state and individuals, a new study indicated on Tuesday.

National Bank analysts estimate that Greece's growth rate this year will not exceed 2 percent, below government and creditor forecasts, as they expect that the slowdown in the eurozone will impact the Greek economy via exports.

Greece sold treasury bills worth 812.5 million euros on Wednesday, according to a Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) announcement.
The 52-week treasury bills were sold at a 0.95 percent yield, down from 1.09 percent at the previous similar auction conducted on December 12, 2018, according to the e-mailed PDMA press release.

With polls looming this year, the International Monetary Fund has expressed concern that government policy could be dictated by pre-election considerations which could lead Greece away from the path of fiscal discipline and reform.

Greece needs to press ahead with unfinished economic reforms to cut risks to its recovery in the medium term, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday in its first report since the country exited its third bailout.

The Eurogroup today decided to postpone the disbursement to Greece of a one-billion euro tranche from the profits of eurozone central banks on Greek bonds.

The most significant cause for the delay is the inability of the government and creditors to agree on the provisions of a new law on protecting debtors' primary residence from foreclosure.

The new three-year plans aimed at cutting bad loans to be presented to the Single Supervisory Mechanism by banks at end-March will be bolder and more front-heavy.