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05 September 2012

FT: ECB holds back from bond yield cap


The European Central Bank will refrain from publishing any formal cap on bond yields when it announces a new plan to buy distressed eurozone sovereign debt at its governing council meeting.

The programme, dubbed “monetary outright transactions” in internal ECB discussion papers, was first outlined last month by Mario Draghi, the bank’s president, and – after fierce debate over its merits – is set to be revealed in detail following the meeting of the bank’s executive board and the 17 heads of eurozone central banks.

It has met with open opposition from the German Bundesbank, the guardian of the doctrine that central banks should focus solely on price stability. The leaders of France, Spain and Italy have by contrast lobbied hard in favour and they were joined by leading business groups from those three countries and Germany, who called for “decisive actions” from European institutions including the ECB and governments.

Yet, underscoring concern about the plan’s risks, the central banks of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Finland have put discussing a credible exit strategy on the agenda for Thursday morning’s meeting before Mr Draghi speaks in the early afternoon, according to one person familiar with the matter.

Mr Draghi said from the outset that the programme – aimed principally at keeping the market interest rates of Spain and Italy from spiralling out of control – will come with strings attached in the form of structural reforms and budget controls.

Full article (FT subscription required)



© Financial Times


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