Economics
ECB Hands 74 Billion Euros to Banks as Lending Shows Upturn
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The European Central Bank handed 73.8 billion euros ($84.2 billion) to euro-area banks in the fourth round of a program designed to boost their lending to the real economy.
The take-up compares with a median estimate of 75 billion euros by analysts in a Bloomberg survey, with predictions ranging from 20 billion euros to 160 billion euros. Banks borrowed 98 billion euros in a similar operation in March, and have now taken 384 billion euros in total.