News


They Said It - Recent Comments of ECB Governing Council Members

They Said It - Recent Comments of ECB Governing Council Members

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – The following is an overview of recent comments made by European Central Bank Governing Council members. We include only comments made since the Governing Council meeting of 15 June, but earlier comments can still be seen in versions up to that of 9 June .

29 June 2023
Transcript of Interview with ECB Governing Council Member Centeno

Transcript of Interview with ECB Governing Council Member Centeno

By Xavier D’Arcy – SINTRA, Portugal (Econostream) - Following is the full transcript of the interview conducted by Econostream on 27 June with Mário Centeno, Governor of Banco de Portugal and member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank:

28 June 2023
Exclusive: ECB Should Not Pre-Commit to July Hike, Centeno Says

Exclusive: ECB Should Not Pre-Commit to July Hike, Centeno Says

- Centeno: ‘We better be careful about producing substantial statements about the future’
- Centeno: Announcing decisions ahead of time ‘goes against the strategy’
- Centeno: Governing Council ‘will speak in July’ about what to do
- Centeno: 2024 rate cut ‘compatible with a reduction of inflation to 2% in the medium term’
- Centeno: ECB staff projections ‘may be optimistic in terms of GDP’ and ‘pessimistic on inflation’
- Centeno: ‘How can I be stressed about a projection that says that in 2025 […] inflation is 2.2%?’
- Centeno: Baseline ECB scenario is ‘end to the inflationary process without […] major disruptions’
- Centeno: Pass-through from rate hikes ‘may come abruptly’
- Centeno: Eurozone labour market ‘much more fluid’

28 June 2023
Exclusive: ECB’s Kazāks: In No Hurry to Start Active Sales of Balance Sheet Assets

Exclusive: ECB’s Kazāks: In No Hurry to Start Active Sales of Balance Sheet Assets

- Kazāks: PEPP reinvestment important for flexibility reasons
-
Kazāks: No need for any changes to the PEPP reinvestment at the moment
- Kazāks: Balance sheet adjustment ‘very much driven by the TLTROs’
- Kazāks: Fiscal policy must become less expansionary, or rates will have to go up even more
- Kazāks: Rates should stay high ‘
as long as inflation is not significantly undershooting the target’
-
Kazāks: Expectation of rate cut in 1H 2024 ‘inconsistent with the baseline macro scenario’
-
Kazāks: ‘We will not be done, in my view, in July, and there will be more rate hikes necessary’
-
Kazāks: ‘If necessary, we can take a pause and then return to rate hikes’
-
Kazāks: ‘The risks of doing too little are higher than the risks of doing too much’
- Kazāks: Lagarde ‘very skilful in getting almost all of us behind every one of our decisions’

28 June 2023
ECB Unlikely To Be Certain About Reaching Terminal Rate, Lagarde Says

ECB Unlikely To Be Certain About Reaching Terminal Rate, Lagarde Says

By Xavier D’Arcy – SINTRA, Portugal (Econostream) – The European Central Bank will likely keep the door open to further hikes rather than announce an end to its tightening cycle, due to uncertainty surrounding the persistence of inflation, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Tuesday.

27 June 2023
Exclusive: ECB Insiders: July Rate Hike Increasingly Seen as Not Enough

Exclusive: ECB Insiders: July Rate Hike Increasingly Seen as Not Enough

- ECB Insiders: Two of Three Surveyed Inclined to Hike Anew in September
- ECB Insiders Reject Market Expectations of Initial Easing Move in 1H 2024
- ECB Insiders Want to Leave Interest Rates at Terminal Level for Some Time
- ECB Insiders: July Rate Hike More or Less a Given

26 June 2023
They Said It - Recent Comments of ECB Governing Council Members

They Said It - Recent Comments of ECB Governing Council Members

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – The following is an overview of recent comments made by European Central Bank Governing Council members. We include only comments made since the Governing Council meeting of 15 June, but earlier comments can still be seen in versions up to that of 9 June .

23 June 2023