Politics Angela Merkel

BERLIN, Feb 26- Finance Minister Olaf Scholz plans to modify the debt brake provision in the German constitution so that the federal government can assume some of the obligations of heavily indebted municipalities, Die Zeit newspaper reported. The debt relief plan, proposed by the finance ministry some months ago, would see the federal government assume some...

*EU coffers face 75 billion euro gap after Brexit. BRUSSELS, Feb 21- A European Union summit ended abruptly on Friday after leaders failed to reach agreement on the bloc's long-term budget, following a two-day stand-off between poorer countries and "frugal" member states seeking to rein in spending. Setting the seven-year budget is always a tug of war, but it is...

BERLIN, Feb 21- A leadership crisis in Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party could help her Social Democrat coalition partners and the Greens in a state vote on Sunday, the first electoral test since her protegee gave up ambitions for the top job. Polls suggest the SPD will remain the biggest party in the election in the northern port of Hamburg, allowing...

*Britain's exit leaves 75 billion euro hole in bloc's coffers. BRUSSELS, Feb 20- EU leaders made no headway on Thursday in fractious talks on a joint 2021-27 budget that was left with a 75 billion euro hole after Britain's departure at a time when they face costly new challenges from climate change to migration. Britain, which left the EU last month, was the...

*Britain's exit leaves 75 billion euro hole in bloc's coffers. BRUSSELS, Feb 20- European Union leaders began talks on Thursday on a joint 2021-27 budget that will need to fill a 75 billion euro hole left by Britain's departure just as they face costly climate and other challenges. It's a complicated task and certainly big differences have to be overcome, "German...

Feb 17- 1/ CHINA ON SICK LEAVE A leap in coronavirus cases in Hubei gave markets pause, for all of 24 hours. Then attention shifted back to the global case-count and the rally resumed. Automaker GAC allows only half its employees to work each day at its Guangzhou headquarters, and it's a similar story at many other companies.

TOKYO, Feb 17- The euro was on the back foot on Monday, as concerns mounted about weakening economic growth in Europe at a time financial markets and policymakers fret about a new threat to the global economy from a fast spreading coronavirus in China. The euro, which hit a 33- month low of $1.0817 on Friday, fetched $1.08385 in afternoon Asian trade on Monday, flat so...

A report on Friday that Fiat Chrysler plans to close a plant in Serbia due to a lack of parts added to fears that ties to China leave Europe's economy vulnerable. "We had some first indications that this might be starting to impinge on the global supply chain this morning with Chrysler shutting one of their factories in Eastern Europe because of shortage of...

LONDON, Feb 14- Most government bond yields across the euro area edged lower on Friday, after bleak economic data from Germany added to concerns about the bloc's economic outlook. The European Union's statistics office said GDP in the 19 countries sharing the euro expanded 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the October-December period, as announced on Jan 31, for a...

Feb 14- CHINA ON SICK LEAVE A leap in coronavirus cases in Hubei gave markets pause- for all of 24 hours. Automaker GAC allows only half its employees to work each day at its Guangzhou headquarters, and it's a similar story at many other firms. That money could become even cheaper should the benchmark lending rate be cut again on Feb. 20.

TOKYO, Feb 14- Asian shares inched higher on Friday, on course to post the second straight week of gains, helped by hopes governments will make provisions to soften the impact on their economies from the coronavirus epidemic. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ticked up 0.25% on Friday for weekly gain of 1.77%. China's blue-chip CSI300...

*Europe's biggest economy losing momentum. BERLIN, Feb 14- The German economy stagnated in the fourth quarter due to weaker private consumption and state spending, data showed on Friday, renewing fears of a recession just as Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives are preoccupied with a search for a new leader. Europe's biggest economy has been losing...

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ticked up 0.3%, led by gains in Hong Kong and South Korea. "China is already easing its monetary policy and providing more liquidity while more stimulus is likely. Factories are starting to reopen albeit with some delays, "said Yukino Yamada, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.

TOKYO, Feb 14- Global shares eased on Friday, as investors were spooked by a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases in China this week while oil prices extended gains on hopes of more production cuts. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.08% with South Korea's Kospi falling 0.25% while Japan's Nikkei slid 0.67%.

*Canada's 10- year yield was nearly unchanged at 1.395%. "We're all about coronavirus... except that we had a new theme in the foreign exchange market and that's German politics and that's what seems to be a big part of the downward move in the euro," said Greg Anderson, global head of foreign exchange strategy at BMO Capital Markets in New York. Chances of an early...

China reported on Wednesday its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in two weeks, bolstering a forecast by Beijing's senior medical adviser for the outbreak in the country to end by April. The market is reasonably confident that China will be able to get control of the virus, although it may take some time, said Steve Englander, head of global G10 FX research at...

The death toll in mainland China from the coronavirus climbed past 1,000 on Tuesday, but the number of new confirmed cases fell. The outbreak is hitting a peak in China this month and may be over by April, the government's senior medical adviser said on Tuesday. Still, analysts said concerns that the coronavirus will hurt the world economy, alongside political...