US dollar may get a second wind

Since mid-April, the dollar has declined by 7% versus the euro and 6% versus the British pound, moving back to levels last seen around January.

Germany faces lower tax intake due to slower growth: Handelsblatt

(Reuters) - Germany will take in several billion euros less in tax revenues next year than expected due to lower growth, Handelsblatt business daily reported on Thursday, a week before experts are due to give a new estimate.

Europe braced for any gas crisis as Russia sanctions escalate

Europe has enough spare capacity in liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet a large part of the region’s needs if Russia retaliates against the latest EU sanctions by restricting gas supplies.

Side deals with Moscow thwart drive to wean Europe off Russian gas

(Reuters) - While officials in Brussels were calling for Europe to reduce its dependency on Russian natural gas and negotiate with Moscow as a bloc, Austria was quietly bypassing the European Commission to cut its own bilateral deal on building a pipeline.

Euro Factory Surveys Rise as Price Weakness Persists

Euro-area services and manufacturing expanded faster than economists forecast in April, indicating the economy continued to strengthen at the start of the second quarter.

Angela Merkel approves Germany's first minimum wage

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has approved the country's first minimum wage, at 8.50 euros an hour (£7; $11.75), to start in 2015.

Poland Says German Reliance on Russian Gas Threatens Europe

WARSAW -- Germany's reliance on Russian natural gas poses a threat to European sovereignty, Polish Prime Minister Doland Tusk warned Monday amid rising East-West tensions over Ukraine.

Senior German official brands country's trade surplus 'unfair'

(Reuters) - A leading German foreign ministry official has called the country's massive trade surplus "unfair", joining others in Europe and the United States in criticizing Germany for not boosting its domestic demand and dismantling global imbalances.

Euro zone industry stumbles in December, but recovery still seen on track

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone industrial output fell more than expected in December, data showed on Wednesday, but probably not by enough to have stopped economic growth from picking up slightly in the last three months of the year.

U.S. May Join Germany of 1933 in Pantheon of Defaults

Reneging on its debt obligations would make the U.S. the first major Western government to default since Nazi Germany 80 years ago.

Analysis: Euro zone current account surplus puts Germany in dock

(Reuters) - A sharp rise in the euro zone's current account surplus puts the focus firmly on what Germany's new government can do to boost consumption and revive investment in Europe's largest economy.

Merkel ally fuels Greek aid row before election

(Reuters) - Germany's commissioner to the European Commission said on Saturday he expects a new bailout for Greece to amount to a little more than 10 billion euros, fuelling a debate that could hurt Chancellor Angela Merkel in next month's election.

Angela Merkel feel-good election manifesto draws fire

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel was Monday set to promote her party manifesto for elections three months away, amid criticism from her coalition partners that the costly list of feel-good pledges contradict her commitment to budget discipline.

Millions falling into poverty in recession-racked Italy: Report

ROME: Millions of Italians cannot afford to heat their homes properly or eat meat as their country is racked by recession and soaring unemployment, said a report which found the number of people considered seriously deprived had doubled in the past two years.

S&P says Cypriot deposit grab may set euro zone precedent

(Reuters) - The grab on bank deposits that accompanied Cyprus's bailout could be repeated elsewhere in the euro zone, and the bloc's banking union may not be strong enough when it is introduced, Standard and Poor's said on Wednesday.

Strong US jobs report triggers stock market rally

LONDON (AP) — Stock markets rallied on Friday, with both the Dow and S&P hitting new highs, after an unexpectedly strong U.S. jobs report indicated the world's largest economy is not slowing down, as some had feared.

Euro bailout fund may not extend to banks, says ESM head

BERLIN: Deep reservations in some European states about using the euro zone's bailout fund for bank recapitalisation could ultimately mean the plan is abandoned, the head of the fund said.

EU budget deal far from certain, says Angela Merkel

Talks over the European Union’s next seven-year budget will be “very difficult”, Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor has said, as she warned that an agreement was far from certain.

IMF Deputy MD David Lipton 'optimistic' about Greece

WASHINGTON: IMF Deputy Managing Director David Lipton said Friday he was optimistic that Greece could get its restructuring program back on track and remain in the eurozone.

French economy shows zero growth in Q2: INSEE

PARIS: The French economy managed zero growth in the second quarter of 2012, data showed Tuesday, beating expectations it would begin a slide into recession.