PARIS, Feb 7: Easing inflation and stimulus packages adopted by governments around the world offer hope that the world economic crisis could come to an end this year, French Central Bank Governor Christian Noyer said.

While the final three months of 2008 had proved especially painful, lower energy and commodity prices and, as a result, easing inflation were one reason for optimism, Noyer said in an interview.

Positive growth could creep in at the end of 2009 and be a factor next year, on average, as lower inflation boosted consumption and the effects of monetary policy actions, namely lower interest rates, by the world’s central banks were felt.

Moves by many countries to ease monetary policy were already having an impact on the real economy, he said.

Conditions of financing and the property market in France were sound, he said, reiterating that the euro zone’s second-biggest economy had emerged relatively well thanks to more conservative lending practices to would-be house buyers. —Reuters