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ECB Insight: Lane Makes June Hike a Test, Not a Given

ECB Insight: Lane Makes June Hike a Test, Not a Given

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Chief Economist Philip Lane’s speech late Wednesday on energy supply shocks will come across to some as another building block in the case for a June rate hike. It is, however, more cautious than that: it takes the framework ECB President Christine Lagarde laid out in March and shows why June’s policy decision remains an open question.

14 May 2026 Central Bank News
ECB’s Lagarde Says Europe’s Leaders Must Act on Draghi Diagnosis

ECB’s Lagarde Says Europe’s Leaders Must Act on Draghi Diagnosis

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde on Wednesday said Europe’s leaders had to act on former ECB President Mario Draghi’s diagnosis of the bloc’s weaknesses, warning that Europe’s unfinished institutional architecture was being tested by a harsher global environment.

13 May 2026 Central Bank News
ECB’s Lane Says Persistent Inflation Overshoot May Require Policy Response

ECB’s Lane Says Persistent Inflation Overshoot May Require Policy Response

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Executive Board member Philip Lane on Wednesday said an energy-driven inflation overshoot that proved material and persistent could require a monetary policy response, while saying current evidence still showed limited broader effects from the Middle East shock.

13 May 2026 Central Bank News
Italy: MEF Places €1 Billion in Supplementary BOT Auctions

Italy: MEF Places €1 Billion in Supplementary BOT Auctions

By Laura Contemori – ROME (Econostream) – The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) allotted an additional €1 billion of Treasury bills (BOTs) on Wednesday through supplementary auctions reserved for specialist dealers, according to results published by the Bank of Italy.

13 May 2026 Debt Issuance News
ECB’s Dolenc Says Higher Energy Prices Have Limited Spillover So Far

ECB’s Dolenc Says Higher Energy Prices Have Limited Spillover So Far

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Primož Dolenc said Wednesday that higher energy prices had so far had only limited indirect effects on the broader economy, but warned that the Middle East conflict could still push up inflation expectations and consumer prices.

13 May 2026 Central Bank News
ECB Insight: If This Is Hawkishness, Then June May Be Less Settled Than It Looks

ECB Insight: If This Is Hawkishness, Then June May Be Less Settled Than It Looks

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – We wouldn’t claim that European Central Bank Governing Council member Martin Kocher sounded on balance like a dove in our just-published interview with him, but to the extent he reflects the current thinking of Council hawks, the case for a June hike may still hang in the balance.

13 May 2026 Central Bank News
Italy: MEF Allots €7.5 Billion in BTP Auctions on May 13

Italy: MEF Allots €7.5 Billion in BTP Auctions on May 13

By Laura Contemori – ROME (Econostream) – The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) allotted a combined €7.5 billion of multi-year Treasury bonds (BTPs) on Wednesday across three maturities, according to results published by the Bank of Italy.

13 May 2026 Debt Issuance News