Euro-Area Economic Confidence Falls More Than Forecast

Economic confidence in the euro area decreased more than economists forecast in April as the 17- nation currency bloc struggled to emerge from a recession and the bailout of Cyprus renewed debt-crisis concerns.

German finance minister calls anti-euro party's policy "insane"

BERLIN (Reuters) - A core policy of a new anti-euro party was criticized as "economically insane" by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in an interview published on Sunday.

Stalemate over, Italy's Letta names new government

ROME (Reuters) - Italian center-left politician Enrico Letta named a coalition government on Saturday, making one of Silvio Berlusconi's closest allies deputy prime minister and ending two months of damaging political stalemate.

European Stocks Post Biggest Weekly Gain in Five Months

European stocks posted the biggest weekly gain in five months as investors speculated the region’s central bank will cut rates and as companies from BASF SE to Standard Life (SL/) Plc reported better-than-expected results.

Cyprus further eases limits on money transfers

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus significantly eased restrictions on money transfers inside and outside the country Thursday to help businesses spur a deeply slumping economy.

Italy crisis close to an end but problems not over

ROME: Months of paralysing political deadlock seem close to an end in Italy with a new government possible by early next week, but there are many questions over how long the stability can last.

George Osborne set to expand Funding for Lending Scheme

George Osborne is expected to expand his flagship £80bn lending scheme on Wednesday in a bid to boost support for small businesses following criticism that most of the funds have been siphoned off by high street banks to cut homeowner's mortgage costs.

Angela Merkel says Germany not seeking 'hegemony' in EU

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday rejected the idea that her country was seeking "hegemony" in the European Union, but insisted members needed to cede some national sovereignty for the greater good.

The IMF’s fiddling achieves nothing

Fresh from the calamity of the Cypriot bail-out, a fiasco that he personally oversaw, he was at it again at the International Monetary Fund’s spring meeting in Washington last week.

Euro-Zone Workers Increasingly Forced to Go Part-Time

Growing numbers of workers in the euro zone are unable to work as many hours as they would like, official figures showed Friday, casting new light on the grim outlook for consumers that could depress the region's growth prospects for some time to come.

France warned on growth goals, fiscal targets in doubt

PARIS: France's economy could shrink this year and miss future government forecasts, the country's budget watchdog and the IMF warned on Tuesday, casting doubt on Paris's pledge to cut its deficit below 3 percent of output.

ECB's Draghi urges governments to solve crisis

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The president of the European Central Bank on Monday put pressure on governments to push ahead with plans for a closer European integration to address the crisis' core problems.

Eurozone posts trade surplus of 10.4 bn euros in February

BRUSSELS: The 17-nation eurozone posted a trade surplus of 10.4 billion euros ($13.6 bn) after recording a revised deficit of 4.7 billion euros in January, Eurostat said Monday.

Cyprus to ease citizenship requirements, attacks EU 'hypocrisy'

NICOSIA: Cyprus will relax requirements for citizenship, including for bank depositors who lost large amounts of money in the deal with the EU and IMF, in an effort to keep foreigners interested in investing in the island state, the president said on Sunday.

Spain to rescue its indebted regions with 15 billion euros

DUBLIN: The Spanish government is putting finishing touches to a new bailout plan for its highly indebted regions to settle 15 billion euros ($19.7 billion) of unpaid bills to suppliers, Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said on Saturday.

The Euro Zone Crisis Is Back - on Multiple Fronts

Europe's finance ministers meeting in Dublin on Friday are facing a renewed crisis on multiple fronts,with a backlash against austerity acting as a gloomy backdrop for negotiations over bailout extensions for Portugal and Ireland, while tackling Cyprus's botched bailout and growing worries about Slovenia.

Italy debt to reach peak of 130.4% in 2013: government

MILAN: Italy's public debt level will reach a peak of 130.4 per cent of gross domestic product ( GDP) this year, according to a long-term budget programme issued on Wednesday that forecasts growth will pick up and debt go down starting from next year.

Spain rating risk driven by deficit, says Moody's

MADRID: The likelihood that Spain will miss its public deficit target this year leaves its sovereign rating at risk of slipping below investment grade, credit agency Moody's said on Tuesday.

Slovenia Faces ‘Severe’ Banking Crisis in Recession, OECD Says

Slovenia, hit hard by a boom-bust cycle and the euro area’s debt woes, faces a “severe” banking crisis if it doesn’t act quickly, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development said.

German Industrial Production Increased in February

German industrial output rebounded in February, adding to signs that Europe’s largest economy is stabilizing after a contraction in the fourth quarter.

Amid financial crisis, Cyprus convicts offer help

NICOSIA: With Cyprus' economy falling apart, even those behind prison bars are pulling together to help people in need.

Italy to pay 40 billion euros of state debt to companies

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's caretaker government said on Saturday it would pay 40 billion euros ($52 billion) that the state owes to private companies over the next 12 months, while vowing to stick within the European Union's deficit limit.

Euro zone crisis: German economy slows to 'near-stagnation,' PMI survey shows

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Germany, the largest economy in the euro zone, slowed to “near-stagnation” in March, according to data released Thursday that showed the euro-area recession had deepened.

Turkey says Cyprus crisis is chance to end division

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday the financial crisis in Cyprus presented an "important opportunity" to end the division of the island, split between the Greek Cypriot south and Turkish north.

U.K. Banks Try to Dodge Bonus Caps by Defining Risk-Taker

U.K. lenders are preparing to lobby the European Union’s chief banking regulator to reduce the number of employees hit by rules capping bonuses, two people familiar with the talks said.

Eurozone crisis demands one banking policy, one fiscal policy – and one voice

It had all started to look quite promising. The US was picking up, China had avoided a hard landing and in Japan the early signs from the new government's anti-deflation approach were encouraging.

The Resolution of the Cyprus Banking Collapse Paves the Way for More Crises

The international financial community and the markets have declared victory over Cyprus’s banking crisis. But the solution imposed on Cyprus–taxing big deposits–may pave the way for the next European financial crisis.

EU, IMF resisting merger of Greek banks NBG, Eurobank: Paper

ATHENS: Greece's international lenders have asked Athens to halt the merger of National Bank with Eurobank, worried that the resulting lender would be too big for the state to deal with, daily Kathimerini reported on Saturday.