News

ECB’s Lane: Middle East Escalation Could Jolt Inflation Higher, Hit Output; ECB “Closely Monitoring”

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Executive Board member Philip Lane on Tuesday warned that a potential escalation of military conflict in the Gulf could deliver an energy-price-driven inflation shock while weighing on euro-area growth, stressing that the magnitude and the implications for the medium-term inflation outlook would depend on the breadth and duration of any disruption.

3 March 2026

ECB’s Kocher: ECB Should Be Ready to Move Rates Quickly in Either Direction

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Martin Kocher on Monday said the ECB should be ready to move interest rates quickly in either direction if current uncertainties affecting the euro area outlook were to materialize, while making clear that policymakers should not react prematurely to risks that had not yet shown up in the data.

2 March 2026

ECB’s Makhlouf: “Far, Far Too Early to Come to Conclusions” About Iran Conflict

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Gabriel Makhlouf said on Monday that it is premature to respond to the recent rise in energy prices linked to the Iran conflict.

2 March 2026

ECB’s Wunsch: Should Not “Rush” to React to Energy Price Spike, But Must “Assess” Situation

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Pierre Wunsch said on Monday that policymakers should not “rush” to respond to recent energy price movements, though the ECB will need to carefully assess the situation if it escalates into a broader oil shock.

2 March 2026

ECB’s Nagel: Current Rate Level Leaves ECB in “Good Position”

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Joachim Nagel said on Sunday that the ECB was “in a good position” at current interest rate levels and should continue setting policy meeting by meeting as trade and geopolitical uncertainty remain high.

1 March 2026

Bank of Slovenia's Primož Dolenc Takes Office as Governor, becoming ECB Governing Council member

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Primož Dolenc took office on Sunday as Governor of Banka Slovenije, the institution said in a press release.

1 March 2026

ECB Tone Meter Weekly Update: Lagarde’s Shift to a Neutral Tone Pulls Executive Board to Neutral

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Econostream’s ECB Tone Meter showed the Governing Council unchanged this week, while the Executive Board edged down to neutral.

27 February 2026

ECB’s Rehn: Growth Has Been “Sluggish,” But “Good News” Is Inflation Close to 2%

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Olli Rehn said on Thursday that European economic growth had been “sluggish”, while the “good news” was that inflation and inflation expectations were close to the 2% target.

26 February 2026

DMO Insight: Sovereigns Aren’t Ditching USD Despite Its Slide, but Euro Ambitions Simmer

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) - A softer US dollar has done little to disrupt sovereign funding strategies, with debt management offices signaling that their USD issuance plans remain firmly in place despite the currency’s recent depreciation.

26 February 2026

ECB’s Lagarde: “We Are in A Good Place” But Should Remain “Agile”

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that the ECB is in “a good place” but that it should remain “agile” as it monitors evolving developments and their implications.

26 February 2026

ECB’s Lagarde: Inflation Seen Stabilizing at 2% in Medium Term

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday that the ECB continued to expect inflation to settle at 2% over the medium term.

26 February 2026

ECB Insight: Vozpópuli’s de Cos Report Looks More Like Positioning Than Decision

By David Barwick and Marta Vilar – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – Wednesday’s report from Spanish news outlet Vozpópuli on former European Central Bank Governing Council member Pablo Hernández de Cos is more convincing than the outlet’s attempt a month ago to portray the ECB as already opening the door to him. Even so, the new piece still looks less like confirmation of a Spanish decision than an effort to shape the conversation around one.

26 February 2026

ECB’s Vujčić Clears Governing Council Hurdle for ECB Vice Presidency

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Boris Vujčić on Wednesday cleared a key procedural step toward becoming the next vice president of the ECB after the Governing Council said it had “no objection” to his nomination.

25 February 2026

ECB’s Vujčić: “The Less We Discuss TPI, the More Effective It Is”

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Boris Vujčić said on Wednesday that the ECB's Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) works best when it is discussed less.

25 February 2026

ECB’s Vujčić: Inflation on Target, Yet “No Room for Complacency” Given Economic and Geopolitical Environment

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Boris Vujčić said on Wednesday that euro area inflation was back at the medium-term target of 2%, but that the ECB could not be complacent given the current environment.

25 February 2026

ECB’s Lagarde: “I Very Strongly Believe That We Are in That Good Place”

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Monday that she “very strongly” believed the ECB was in a good place and that it should be “agile.”

23 February 2026

ECB’s Lagarde Says Europe Can Shift to Domestic-Led Growth, Defends ECB’s Speed and Independence

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde on Monday used a Washington speech to defend the ECB’s policy independence and crisis-response speed while arguing that Europe is moving toward a more domestic-demand-led growth model that could support stronger long-term expansion.

23 February 2026

Transcript: Interview with Slovenian DMO Director General Marjan Divjak 20 February 2026

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Following is the full transcript of the interview conducted by Econostream on 20 February 2026 with Marjan Divjak, Director General of the Treasury Directorate of Slovenia’s Ministry of Finance:

23 February 2026

Exclusive: Slovenian DMO: Panda Bond Size Seen at RMB2–4bn, March Earliest Issuance Window

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Slovenia expects to issue a Panda bond this year in the range of RMB2–4 billion, with March 2026 seen as the earliest possible window, though final timing will depend on market conditions, according to Marjan Divjak, Director General of the Treasury Directorate of Slovenia’s Ministry of Finance.

23 February 2026

ECB Insight: Lagarde Preserves Optionality on Rates — and on Leaving

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – By now, one thing is clear: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde wants to at least preserve the option of leaving her post early.

23 February 2026