ECB Watch Still pretty downbeat despite a strong Q2 The ECB is likely to maintain a very dovish stance at the forthcoming meeting. Admittedly, recent positive data might have led the Bank to revise up its growth forecast for 2010. But the slowdown in... 26th August 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch A more positive tone, but tighter policy is distant The ECB’s decision to tighten future lending criteria and the fact that its bond purchases have ground to a near halt suggest that the Bank is again phasing out its unconventional policy support. The... 29th July 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Pledging support for troubled banks With concerns about the euro-zone banking sector growing again, markets will be hoping for reassurance that the ECB will continue to provide ample liquidity. At the same time, the ECB is likely to... 1st July 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Resisting full-blown QE... for now After making radical changes to unconventional policy just a few weeks ago, further alterations seem unlikely this month. The ECB will give little away about the size and type of future bond purchases... 3rd June 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Greek turmoil adds to ECB caution Any earlier suspicions that ECB interest rate hikes might have been on the horizon have surely been blown away by the Greek crisis. For now, the recovery in the broader euro-zone economy seems to have... 29th April 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Maintaining a dovish tone The ECB is unlikely to make any major decisions at its April meeting after taking a big step towards phasing out unconventional policy support in March. While the Bank will argue that measures to... 1st April 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Another small step towards the exit The ECB will announce the next step in its plan to phase out unconventional policy support this month. This might well be to increase the interest rate on its three-month loans to commercial banks... 25th February 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Benign inflation outlook to keep rates on hold The ECB meeting on February 4th is likely to be uneventful, with interest rates on hold and no significant change to existing plans to gradually phase out unconventional support for the banking sector... 28th January 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Gently does it After outlining the start of its exit strategy last month, we doubt that the ECB will announce any further changes at the forthcoming meeting. The Bank might increase the interest rate on its... 7th January 2010 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Treading carefully The ECB will probably confirm at the forthcoming press conference that December’s provision of 12- month bank loans will be the last. Together with possible hints about phasing out 6-month lending... 26th November 2009 · 1 min read
ECB Watch No hints of tighter policy The ECB will leave interest rates on hold at 1.0% at its November policy meeting and we do not expect it to announce any significant change in its policy of providing generous loans to the banking... 29th October 2009 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Maintaining a supportive stance The ECB will leave interest rates at 1.0% at its October policy meeting and is unlikely to signal any significant change in its supportive policy stance for the future. The Bank will probably argue... 1st October 2009 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Treating signs of recovery with caution The ECB will leave interest rates on hold at 1.0% at its September policy meeting and is very unlikely to announce any new unconventional policy measures. The Bank is likely to treat recent signs of... 28th August 2009 · 1 min read
ECB Watch ECB sticking to its guns The ECB looks set to leave interest rates on hold at 1.0% at its August policy meeting and is very unlikely to announce any new measures to stimulate the economy. The Bank is biding its time for now... 30th July 2009 · 1 min read
ECB Watch Maintaining narrow focus on bank lending The ECB looks almost certain to leave interest rates on hold at 1.0% this month, where we expect them to remain until at least the end of 2010. There is little hope that any new unconventional policy... 25th June 2009 · 1 min read
ECB Watch ECB still hesitant to pull out all the stops Euro-zone interest rates will almost certainly be on hold in June, but the focus has shifted to any developments regarding unconventional policies. The Bank is likely to confirm its intention to start... 28th May 2009 · 1 min read
