It’s baffling that Labour didn’t make more of QE in its election campaign May 15, 2015 George Osborne's management of the economy has been credited with winning the Conservatives the election. Despite repeated criticism and warnings of the dire economic consequences of his austerity policies from adversaries, he continued on. The Labour leadership majored on this theme in the first few years in opposition. In the early days of the [...]
Mario Draghi defends ECB policy decisions after QE rollout March 23, 2015 European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghi yesterday hit back at claims that new monetary policy measures would reduce the need for governments to undertake reforms, ultimately harming growth prospects. “Do you really think a high level of interest rates would form an incentive for a government to improve its education system, or judiciary, or [...]
Beware a taper tantrum after ECB QE – CNBC Comment March 23, 2015 Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things in life, especially when it is to a good friend who has brought you joy, peace of mind and, yes, profits. For investors over recent years, that friend has been easy monetary policy. St Louis Fed president James Bullard told CNBC yesterday that there was the potential [...]
Is the ECB speaking too soon in saying that QE is already helping the Eurozone economy? March 19, 2015 Danae Kyriakopoulou, an economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says Yes Central bankers in Frankfurt have been patting each other on the back as the euro has continued to slide. At first glance, why shouldn’t they? Their QE has sent the euro tumbling, making Eurozone exports more competitive and raising prospects for [...]
Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis sounds alarm over quantitative easing March 14, 2015 The European Central Bank kicked off its bond-buying programme this week, as investors cheered the move, however Greece's Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis warned over its potential outcomes. "QE is all around us and optimism is in the air," Varoufakis said in Italy. "At the risk to sound the party pooper … I find it hard to [...]
Euro loses one per cent against the dollar as markets feel the impact of quantitative easing March 10, 2015 The euro has fallen further against the dollar today, after the European Central Bank (ECB) launched its much-anticipated quantitative easing programme. The single currency briefly fell below the $1.07 mark in late afternoon trading, or down more than one per cent, taking it to its lowest level since 2003. It wasn't helped by the [...]
Pound smashes through €1.40 mark hitting seven-year high against the euro amid quantitative easing and Greek woes March 10, 2015 The pound soared to a more-than seven year high against the euro today thanks to the start of Eurozone quantitative easing. Sterling rose 0.45 per cent, powering past €1.40, its strongest since December 2007. It's been buoyed by Draghi's "biggest bazooka", the €1.1 trillion (£720bn) bond-buying programme, which was launched yesterday. The programme, due to [...]
European markets dip as quantitative easing begins March 9, 2015 European markets fell in early trading as the European Central Bank finally launched its €60bn-a-month (£43bn) quantitative easing programme. The FTSE 100 fell 0.59 per cent, while Germany's Dax dropped 0.39 per cent and France's Cac fell 0.61 per cent, as investors showed their caution over the programme, which is designed to lift Europe out [...]
The Eurozone’s quantitative easing programme is about to start – here’s what you need to know March 8, 2015 Tomorrow is the launch of the Eurozone's long-awaited quantitative easing programme, as the European Central Bank (ECB) starts buying back €1trn (£720bn) worth of bonds from the bloc's member states. The scheme, which aims to boost Europe's economy, was finalised on Thursday, with ECB President Mario Draghi citing the success of similar programmes launched by [...]
Euro edges closer to $1.10 mark as investors await more details on quantitative easing March 4, 2015 The euro edged closer towards the $1.10 psychological barrier in early afternoon trading, falling 0.8 per cent to $1.1086 as investors awaited further details of the European Central Bank's (EBC) €1.2 trillion (£870bn) quantitative easing programme. The currency crashed through its previous 11-year low of $1.1098, which it hit in earlier this year. ECB chief [...]