Lending in eurozone falls in December but at slower pace

[FRANKFURT] Lending to households and firms in the eurozone fell by 0.5 per cent in December, but at a slower pace than in the previous month, while money supply grew by 3.6 per cent, the European Central Bank said on Thursday.

Sparce lending to companies continues to dog the struggling economy of the 19-country eurozone.

Last week, the ECB laid down a plan to spend hundreds of billions of euros on government bonds.

In monthly 60 billion-euro installments from March, the ECB will buy chiefly government debt at least until September of next year, or as long as is needed to revive inflation, which recently swung into reverse.

REUTERS