In March 2015 the ECB started a quantitative easing programme, an extreme monetary policy to expand the money supply, either by lowering interest rates or through open market operations.
It’s usually used when almost all of the measures to reactivate economy fail and central banks have to experiment other tools to encourage banks to pump money into the economy.
Following the QE programme, known unofficially as “Plan Draghi” in the Eurozone, the ECB has bought since March 2015 over 60 billion worth of assets each month. Basically the ECB is buying bonds issued by governments or public institutions in the eurozone (such as the European Investment Bank ) with a maturity between 2 and 30 years.
Supposedly, the programme is planned to finish in September of 2016 but this plan generates a lot of questions.
But, what is exactly Quantitative Easing?
In practical terms, QE means that central banks create money out of nothing to buy securities, such as government bonds. This new money swells the size of bank reserves by the quantity of assets purchased and that’s why this programme is called Quantitative Easings. The money supply is intended to flood financial institutions with capital in an effort to stimulate lending and increase liquidity.
Much of the governments’ debt is held by banks in the Eurozone and the ECB wants them to give more credits. If the ECB buys government bonds, their prices rise and profitability drop even more. This is a liquidity-providing operation that weakens the value of the euro. This depreciation makes European exports cheaper and competitive, and ultimately, helps in recovering. In addition, as a result of the stimulus to internal and external consumption, the ECB combats the risk of deflation, a widespread and prolonged drop in prices, as well as the high unemployment.
Another QE's important aim is limiting investors appetite for government debt and promote that they divert their money to a more profitable investment in the production economy.
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Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD flat lines near 1.1750 ahead of ECB policy decision
EUR/USD remains flat after two down days, trading around 1.1750 in the European session on Thursday. Traders move to the sidelines and refrain from placing any fresh directional bets on the pair ahead of the ECB policy announcements and the US CPI inflation data.
GBP/USD stays defensive below 1.3400, awaits BoE and US CPI
GBP/USD oscillates in a narrow band below 1.3400 in European trading on Thursday. The pair trades with caution as markets eagerly await the BoE policy verdict and US consumer inflation data for fresh directional impetus.
Japanese Yen languishes near weekly low against USD; focus remains on BoJ policy update
The Japanese Yen trades with a negative bias against the recovering US Dollar for the second straight day, pushing the USD/JPY pair closer to the 156.00 mark or the weekly top. In the absence of any fundamental catalyst, the downtick could be attributed to some repositioning trade ahead of the crucial Bank of Japan policy update on Friday.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD flat lines near 1.1750 ahead of ECB policy decision
EUR/USD remains flat after two down days, trading around 1.1750 in the European session on Thursday. Traders move to the sidelines and refrain from placing any fresh directional bets on the pair ahead of the ECB policy announcements and the US CPI inflation data.
GBP/USD stays defensive below 1.3400, awaits BoE and US CPI
GBP/USD oscillates in a narrow band below 1.3400 in European trading on Thursday. The pair trades with caution as markets eagerly await the BoE policy verdict and US consumer inflation data for fresh directional impetus.
Gold awaits weekly trading range breakout ahead of US CPI report
Gold struggles to capitalize on the previous day's move higher back closer to the $4,350 level and trades with a mild negative bias during the Asian session on Thursday. The downtick could be attributed to some profit-taking amid a US Dollar uptick, though it is likely to remain cushioned on the back of a supportive fundamental backdrop.
Dogecoin breaks key support amid declining investor confidence
Dogecoin trades in the red on Thursday, following a 4% decline on the previous day. The DOGE supply in profit declines as large wallet investors trim their portfolios. Derivatives data shows a surge in bearish positions amid declining retail interest.
Monetary policy: Three central banks, three decisions, the same caution
While the Fed eased its monetary policy on 10 December for the third consecutive FOMC meeting, without making any guarantees about future action, the BoE, the ECB and the BoJ are holding their respective meetings this week.
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