Euro

 Banks expect results of the exercise after mid-October, though meetings with ECB should provide good idea

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

By Hugo Dixon

Bulgaria's public debt at the end of July 2014 amounted to EUR 9.4242B, according to data revealed by the Ministry of Finance.

In just a month, Bulgarian government debt has increased by almost EUR 1.31B. The main reason for the growth is the issuance of eurobonds at the international capital markets, the Financial Ministry report showed.

Financial markets are looking to the European Central Bank (ECB) to open the cash floodgates this week after consumer price data showed the 18-country eurozone is flirting with deflation, analysts said.

Eurozone inflation dropped to a fresh five-year low in August, data showed on Friday, something likely to concern the European Central Bank but not force it into immediate policy action.

Consumer prices in the 18 countries using the euro rose by just 0.3 percent year-on-year in August, the smallest increase since October 2009, the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said.

As Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras tries to follow Ireland and Portugal out the bailout exit door, he faces a month of bargaining.

By Angeline Benoit & Alessandro Speciale

Euro-area economic confidence fell more than forecast, Spanish consumer prices dropped the most in five years and German unemployment unexpectedly rose in a burst of data backing Mario Draghi’s warning that more stimulus may be needed.

By Marius Zaharia

Spanish inflation came in at minus 0.5 percent, higher than expectations of minus 0.6 percent but lower than in July. German inflation due at 1200 GMT was expected to be unchanged at 0.8 percent.

By Evgenia Tzortzi

The government is examining the prospect of transforming ETEAN, the National Fund for Entrepreneurship and Growth, into a new operation that could serve as a development bank and also absorb other financial instruments, with the overall objective of increasing liquidity in the marketplace.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde announced on Aug. 27 she had been charged for "negligence" over a multi-million-euro corruption case relating to her time as French finance minister in 2008.
      
In exclusive comments to AFP, she said she had no intention of resigning over the charges. "I return back to Washington where I will indeed brief my board," she added.