The euro fell as low as to $1.3157 versus the dollar on Friday, the weakest level since January 10, as a less-than-estimated LTOR repayment amount dented investor sentiment.
The disappointing repayment figures may indicate some banks are still relying heavily on the ECB funding. The 17-nation currency depreciated against the Japanese yen and British pound.
The European Central Bank said on Friday that some 356 regional banks will pay back €61.1 billion ($80.5 billion) of its second three-year loan borrowed under the second Longer Term Refinancing Operation (LTOR) a year ago as the first opportunity for early repayment opens on February 27. The reported amount represents just under 12% of a total €529 billion borrowed by 800 euro-zone banks last February from the ECB, and it is far smaller than consensus market expectations (around €130 billion).
