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monetary policy

lagarde

European economy 13th December 2019

Lagarde announces broad “strategic review” of the ECB’s monetary policy, the first since 2003

Christine Lagarde gave her press conference as the head of the ECB yesterday. While alerting of the risks that the eurozone is facing, she promised to maintain both the official rates and the monetary stimuli of her predecessor Mario Draghi. However, the market’s focus was on the announcement of a broad “strategic review” of the ECB’s monetary policy, the first since 2003. This was interpreted as a possible change in the ECB targets, including inflation below 2%. Banks bounced with over + 3%.

Interest rates

Markets 12th December 2019

Who or what is to blame for such low interest rates?

DWS | Although many experts accuse central banks, private sector savings and investment trends are equally important. Eurozone sovereign debt yields have rebounded since the August lows but remain firmly anchored in negative territory. The question is not whether the ECB will raise its interest rates again but how to create an environment in which companies are willing to invest to generate profitability and that part of that profitability returns to the lenders. 

ECB details 1

In Europe, Markets 28th November 2019

European Banks Strategy: The monetary policy cacophony

BOfAML | It is difficult for forward guidance to be credible when the institution is discussing whether any of its tools or targets are likely to be around in a few months. Embarking on a wide ranging discussion about monetary policy targets, communication and tools, with 25 relevant ECB board members, guarantees a cacophony. Volatility lies ahead for sure, we think.

future

World economy 25th November 2019

10 Themes for the Next 10 Years

BofAML | We enter the next decade with interest rates at 5,000-year lows, the largest asset bubble in history, a planet that is heating up, and a deflationary profile of debt, disruption and demographics. We will end it with nearly 1bn people added to the world, a rapidly ageing population, up to 800mn people facing the threat of job automation and the environment on the brink of catastrophic change. At the same time, 3bn more people will be connected online and global data knowledge will be 32x greater than today. The social, political and economic responses to these challenges, all heading to a boiling point this decade, will overhaul traditional paradigms.

global growth

World economy 20th November 2019

What recession?

Jessie J. (Unigestion) | Growth drivers have stabilised considerably since June, following the end of the slowdown that started in January 2018. The “mid-cycle” pause called by Fed Chair Jerome Powell has led to a one-of-a-kind situation: world growth remains decent while monetary policy has become once again incrementally more accommodative.

European equities

Markets 13th November 2019

The S&P 500 has gained 233% since 2010, as opposed to 92% for the MSCI Europe

Igor de Maack (Natixis) | Years of negative rates may well be coming to an end, with a reversal of investor sentiment for bonds over the last few weeks. In fact, the French 10-year rate is now verging on 0%. However, these years will leave their mark in terms of the extravagance of the monetary policies implemented for the purposes of “Saving Private Capitalism”, lost on the battlefield of excessive debt and driven into the trenches of complex finance.

Jerome Powell

Markets 31st October 2019

The Fed is once again data-dependent

Christian Scherrmann (DWS) |  As has been widely anticipated, the Fed is again lowering key rates by 25 basis points – the third step in the current cycle. Judging from the obligatory statement, it seems quite plausible the Fed might be done with cutting for a while. From now on, its main focus seems to be on monitoring the U.S. economy, rather than, say, on pondering whether the current interest rate level appears appropriate, given the current situation. In short, the Fed is once again data-dependent.

draghi ECB

Markets 19th October 2019

Farewell to (Super) Mario Draghi

Caixabank Research | After a September full of announcements, the next ECB meeting (24 October) will be transitional, in one sense at least: 31 October will see the end of Mario Draghi´s mandate, the most charismatic president in the institution´s history.

 

104415914 GettyImages 670697906.1910x1000

Markets 2nd October 2019

ECB: tricky “strategy review” ahead

Gilles Moëc (AXA Group) | We knew that the European Central Bank (ECB) was very divided in the run-up to the Governing Council meeting on September 12th, but two weeks later the fallout of what must have been a very fractious discussion is still very much here.

Mario Draghi ECB presiden 012

Markets 1st October 2019

Musical Chairs at the ECB

Joachim Fels (PIMCO) | By cutting the deposit rate to -50 basis points, extending forward guidance, introducing a two-tiered system for excess reserves that mitigates the adverse impact of negative rates on bank profitability, and resuming open-ended net asset purchases of EUR 20 billion per month, the European Central Bank (ECB) recently provided clarity about its prospective monetary policy stance for the foreseeable future and thus well beyond the change in leadership from Mario Draghi to Christine Lagarde that takes place at the end of October.