With respect to bank lending rates, the short-term prime lending rate has remained at a record low level of 1.625 per cent since September 1995. The long-term prime lending rate has been lowered since June and reached a record low of 2.3 per cent in October.
In particular, from end-May 2016, when the first review of the programme was completed, until August 2017, deposits by non-financial corporations and households increased by 5.3% or € billion, while total deposits gained about € billion. The economic sentiment indicator rose to 100.6 in September, from 99.0 in August, also amid strong consumer confidence, which recorded a two-year peak.