Investing.com - The euro zone's M3 money supply grew more-than-expected in January, while private loans declined for the 21st consecutive month, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the European Central Bank said M3 money supply in the single currency bloc rose at annualized rate of 1.2% last month, above expectations for a 1.1% increase. M3 money supply in the euro zone rose 1% in the preceding month.
Loans to private sector declined at a pace of 2.2% annually last month, compared to expectations for a 2.1% drop, after falling 2.3% in December.
Following the release of the data, the euro held on to losses against the U.S. dollar, with EUR/USD shedding 0.24% to trade at 1.3652.
Meanwhile, European stock markets remained mixed. The EURO STOXX 50 shed 0.4%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.1%, Germany's DAX fell 0.35%, while London’s FTSE 100 inched down 0.1%.