Where things get really messy is when one looks at the actual components of the contraction. As Goldman explains, “Euro area bank lending to non-financial corporations (NFCs) fell by €7.6bn in May, after a €6.3bn contraction in April. Lending rose in France and declined in Spain and Italy, while it was roughly unchanged in Germany. There was a significant decline in lending to households for house purchase related to sales and securitisation. Broad money growth rose from +0.7%yoy to +1.0%yoy, stronger than expected (Cons; +0.8%yoy).”
Lending to non-financial corporations, on a seasonally adjusted basis, declined by €7.6bn in May, after a €6.3bn fall in April. The decline was smaller (at €4.5bn) when adjusted for securitisations and sales and broadly similar to the April figure. While this is still clearly disappointing, the rate of decline in bank lending to NFCs has eased somewhat over the past year.
So far so good. But here is the punchline, and proof that anything the ECB can and will try to do, will be a complete disaster: Loans to households fell by €42.8bn (its largest decline on record), having risen by €5.1bn in April.
(Read the rest of the story here…)