El euro sube
ECB Cuts Main Rates, Expands Asset Purchases
All key interest rates cut and monthly bond purchases increased
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi addresses a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt on Thursday. The bank cut interest rates and expanded its quantitative easing asset-buying program. ENLARGE
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi addresses a news conference at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt on Thursday. The bank cut interest rates and expanded its quantitative easing asset-buying program. PHOTO: KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS
By TODD BUELL and PAUL HANNON
Updated March 10, 2016 12:28 p.m. ET
32 COMMENTS
FRANKFURT—The European Central Bank ramped up its efforts to support the eurozone’s weak economy on Thursday, unveiling fresh rate cuts, introducing corporate bonds purchases and providing new loans to banks.
The new measures are designed to underline the bank’s commitment to raising persistently low inflation and come just three months after a more modest program raised doubts about the scale of the central bank’s ambitions, amid wider questions among investors about the effectiveness of monetary policy after more than eight years of stimulus.
Speaking in a news conference after the measures were announced, ECB President Mario Draghi said those doubts should be laid to rest.
The European Central Bank ramped its efforts to boost the eurozone's economy with a package of measures it unveiled on Thursday. Luca Paolini, Pictet Asset Management chief strategist, joins Tanya Rivero to discuss the ECB's move. Photo: Getty
“We have shown that we are not short of ammunition,” he said.
The ECB announced six steps, cutting all of its key interest rates and increasing its monthly bond purchases under its asset-buying program. It also announced a new program of cheap loans for banks that it hopes will be passed on to businesses and households, as well as its intention to buy bonds issued by nonfinancial companies.
Markets initially reacted enthusiastically to the ECB’s package of measures, with European share prices rising and the euro weakening. But the euro later rebounded while share prices fell when it appeared that Mr. Draghi had played down the potential for further rate cuts.
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“To us this is the worst of both worlds—taking the deposit rate further below zero but with verbal interventions unwinding positive market effects,” said Philip Shaw, an economist at Investec.
The negative reaction of markets follows a similar response in December, when investors quickly concluded the ECB’s new steps were insufficient, given the heightened expectations for more aggressive action. A stronger euro could hinder growth and lower consumer prices, while lower share prices could raise the cost of borrowing for companies, making it more costly for them to invest. Both those effects would weaken the ECB’s stimulus effort.
Mr. Draghi said the new measures were needed to counter a weakening in the outlook for the global economy and volatility in financial markets since the start of the year that together heightened the risk that a recent fall in consumer prices would become “entrenched.”
“Conditions have significantly changed,” he said. “This change was due, first and foremost, to a significant weakening of global growth prospects. Financial conditions have changed.”
That ECB policy makers concluded more stimulus is needed underscores the divide between the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. Federal Reserve in December raised its benchmark federal-funds rate from near zero to a range between 0.25% and 0.5% and signaled officials expected more rate increases in 2016. Fed officials are likely to hold short-term interest rates steady at their policy meeting next week and leave the question of when they’ll next raise rates open-ended, given their uncertainties about markets and global growth.
In a change to its usual communication practices, the ECB announced all of its measures at its rate call, rather than waiting for Mr. Draghi’s news conference.
It cut the level it charges on excess deposits by 0.1 percentage point to minus 0.4%. This means that banks have to pay even more now to leave excess funds with the central bank overnight. It also cut its main interest rate, the rate it charges on regular bank loans, to an all-time low of zero percent from 0.05% where it was previously.
The ECB said Thursday that it would up the monthly volume of its bond buying program to €80 billion ($87 billion), from €60 billion previously.
It also decided to add investment-grade euro-denominated bonds issued by nonbank firms established in the euro area to the list of eligible assets that it can buy.
MARKET TALK
The post-ECB high in stocks faded fast, and the euro and gold both turned higher. What’s the reason? Investors seem to be realizing that the push further into negative rates “is a double-edged sword,” especially for banks and their profits, says Wayne Lin, a portfolio manager at QS Investors. Draghi put it best during the news conference: “Does it mean we can go as negative as we want without any consequences for the banking sector? The answer is no.” Additionally, it’s unclear how these policies will help the economy if no one wants to borrow money, Lin adds.
saumya.vaishampayan@wsj.com; @saumvaish)
Market Talk is a stream of real-time news and market analysis that’s available on Dow Jones Newswires
“This is an extremely aggressive signal, since it shows that the ECB is willing to take on potentially significant credit risk in order to fulfill its mandate to raise inflation to its target,” said Bill Adams, an economist at PNC Financial Services Group.
The ECB also decided to extend its program of targeted loans to banks, designed to encourage banks to lend to the real economy. The ECB said that new four-year loans would be launched in June.
“Borrowing conditions in these operations can be as low as the interest rate on the deposit facility,” the ECB said in a statement.
That means the central bank could pay banks to take its loans, while charging them to hold their deposits, an effort to boost lending to eurozone businesses.
The ECB also cut its interest rate on its overnight lending facility by 0.05 percentage point to 0.25%.
What ECB Stimulus Has Done
ENLARGE
As expected, the ECB’s economists slashed their forecast for inflation this year in response to sharp declines in oil prices, and lowered their projections for 2017. They now expect consumer prices to rise by just 0.1% in 2016, having forecast in December they would rise by 1%, with inflation set to pick up to 1.3% in 2017 and 1.6% in 2018, still below its target of just below 2%.
The ECB’s economists lowered their growth forecasts, and now see the eurozone’s gross domestic product increasing by 1.4% this year and 1.7% next, having previously projected expansions of 1.7% and 1.9% respectively. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development expects the eurozone economy to grow by 1.4% this year, and 1.7% next.
Write to Todd Buell at
todd.buell@wsj.com and Paul Hanno