Financial markets digest French election result
Potential for broader political instability across Europe
ECB
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Will a rate cut reignite Europe’s markets?
The benefits from a rate cut may be marginal given the region’s increasingly fragile political situation
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Bank of England holds interest rates steady at 5.25%
Eight of the nine MPC members voted to pause, while one favoured a 25bps cut
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Glimmers of hope behind weak eurozone data
ECB may opt to continue with QE programme into next year if slowdown continues
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ECB to end quantitative easing
The European Central Bank has set an end date for quantitative easing, stating purchases will be halved after September before the programme ends in December.
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Italian fiscal policy could see more hawkish ECB
Italian expansionary fiscal policy is more likely to inform European Central Bank policy than political threats to financial stability, with some investors raising concerns the central bank could soon switch to a more hawkish tone.
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No surprises from Draghi: ECB halves asset purchases to €30bn
The European Central Bank (ECB) will cut the size of its monthly asset purchases in half from January next year, the bank’s president Mario Draghi announced on Thursday. Bond and equity markets, as well as the euro, hardly responded to the announcement.
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Recession risk is on the rise – the key factors to watch
While markets could remain complacent and expensive for a long time, recession risk is rising, says asset manager Robeco. Fidelity is also increasingly cautious, expecting “the longest equity bull market since World War II” to end within 18 months.
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No basis for hawkish turn as ECB holds firm
A meeting of the European Central Bank heralded few surprises on Thursday, but added fuel to speculation QE will continue past 2017.
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ECB remains in wait-and-see mode as inflation picks up
The European Central Bank (ECB) is keeping its monetary policy unchanged, as ECB-president Mario Draghi expressed confidence that inflation in the Eurozone is “converging to our objective”.
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ANALYSIS: Is the ECB scared to turn off the QE tap?
European Central Bank president Mario Draghi delivered a relatively short address after the October governing council meeting on Thursday which was light on substance, but there was something in his remarks that may worry investors.
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ANALYSIS: Should you buy sterling credit as an ECB hedge?
ECB intervention has pushed European corporate bond yields down to unrealistic levels. It may therefore be a good idea to buy some sterling credit, regardless of how the Brexit saga will play out.