Euro zone business lending slows slightly

FRANKFURT, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Lending growth to euro zone businesses slowed slightly from relatively high levels in August and held steady in the case of household loans, data from the European Central Bank showed on Friday.

Lending growth to businesses eased to 4.2% from 4.4% a month earlier, which was the highest level since mid-2023, the data showed. In the case of households, lending growth was steady at 3.1%, equalling the highest rate since early 2023.

The M3 measure of money circulating in the euro zone, often an indicator of future economic growth, picked up to 3.5% from 3.4%, in line with economists' expectations in a Reuters poll.

(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi, Editing by Timothy Heritage)