Merkel Softens on Greece

Typically the euro zone’s hard-line fiscal enforcer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday night that she is committed to keeping Greece in the euro even if that means more stimulus for the ailing country. Merkel has been a firm advocate of austerity for the currency’s profligate nations, partially because of the political climate in her own country. But her tentative embrace of new growth policies signals a shift, possibly the result of the election of socialist François Hollande in France. Hollande, who campaigned on turning euro zone policy toward growth instead of austerity, met with Merkel for the first time Tuesday.