Hellenic Statistical Authority

Greek retail sales by volume rose 9.6 percent in February compared to the same month a year ago after a 0.1 percent decline in January, statistics service ELSTAT said on Friday.

Retail sales were led higher by foods, tobacco, department stores, supermarkets, books, furniture and household appliances, the data showed.

After months of to and fro, claim and counter-claim, we now know that Greece's primary budget surplus for 2016 came in way above its target, leaving us with another Greek crisis paradox to ponder.

As the government hailed official figures putting last year's budget surplus eight times the size of the target set by Greece's international creditors, a key International Monetary Fund official on Friday conceded that the organization underestimated the resilience of the Greek economy once again.

The state's fiscal performance last year has exceeded even the most ambitious targets, as the primary budget surplus as defined by the Greek bailout program, came to 4.19 percent of gross domestic product, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced on Friday. It came to 7.369 billion euros against a target for 879 million euros, or just 0.5 percent of GDP.

Greece far exceeded its international lenders' budget demands last year, official data showed on Friday, posting its first overall budget surplus in 21 years even when debt repayments are included.

The primary surplus - the leftover before debt repayments that is the focus of International Monetary Fund-European Union creditors - was more than eight times what they had targeted.

Greece achieved a primary budget surplus of about 4 percent of gross domestic product last year, outperforming its 0.5 percent of GDP target under its bailout program, a government official told Reuters on Friday.

Greece improved its public finances last year, achieving a general government surplus of 0.7 percent of gross domestic product compared to a 5.9 percent of GDP deficit in 2015, the country's statistics agency ELSTAT said on Friday.

Greece achieved a 2016 primary surplus almost seven times higher than its bailout target, but the International Monetary Fund is doubtful that the country can keep overperforming, according to a Bloomberg report Wednesday.

The growth momentum that construction activity in Greece had built in the second half of 2016 was brought to a halt in January, when it posted a drop, according to the data released on Wednesday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

Sales of new and second hand cars for the month of March increased by over 43%, as more than 15,000 vehicles were registered in 2017, according to the Greek Statistical Services (ELSTAT). 15,350 cars were put into circulation in the month compared to 10,699 in March of 2016, with the brand new cars amounting to 10,003 in comparison to 6,698 in last year over the same period.