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Euro zone lending slows to standstill in April
Lending growth to euro zone households and firms drew to a halt in April, European Central Bank data showed on Friday, slipping after the previous month's improvement roughly two months after the bank launched a massive money-printing programme. Loans to the private sector were flat at 0.0 percent on the year after a rise of 0.1 percent in the previous month, the ECB said. A Reuters poll had pointed to lending rising by 0.2 percent. Sparse lending to companies has dogged the struggling euro zone economy although the picture had been improving and policy setters including ECB President Mario Draghi believe that the ... (full story)