ECB: Euro area’s negotiated wages rise 4.69% YoY in Q1 2024 vs. 4.50% in Q4

The European Central Bank (ECB) published its indicator of the Euro area’s negotiated wages data for the first quarter of 2024 on Thursday.

Data showed that the Euro area negotiated wages increased at an annual pace of 4.69% in Q1 2024 after recording a 4.50% growth in the final quarter of last year.

Market reaction to the EU negotiated wages data

The increase in the EU negotiated wages fails to move the needle around the Euro, as EUR/USD is keeping its rebound intact near 1.0835, adding 0.13% on the day.

About ECB indicator of negotiated wage growth

The ECB indicator of negotiated wage growth is computed for a subset of countries only. The euro area aggregate is based on nine countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Austria and Portugal. The indicator relies on data for negotiated monthly earnings. The euro area indicator is based on a mixture of monthly and quarterly time series and is based on non-harmonised country data.

ECB FAQs

What is the ECB and how does it influence the Euro?

The European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, is the reserve bank for the Eurozone. The ECB sets interest rates and manages monetary policy for the region. The ECB primary mandate is to maintain price stability, which means keeping inflation at around 2%. Its primary tool for achieving this is by raising or lowering interest rates. Relatively high interest rates will usually result in a stronger Euro and vice versa. The ECB Governing Council makes monetary policy decisions at meetings held eight times a year. Decisions are made by heads of the Eurozone national banks and six permanent members, including the President of the ECB, Christine Lagarde.

What is Quantitative Easing (QE) and how does it affect the Euro?

In extreme situations, the European Central Bank can enact a policy tool called Quantitative Easing. QE is the process by which the ECB prints Euros and uses them to buy assets – usually government or corporate bonds – from banks and other financial institutions. QE usually results in a weaker Euro. QE is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the objective of price stability. The ECB used it during the Great Financial Crisis in 2009-11, in 2015 when inflation remained stubbornly low, as well as during the covid pandemic.

What is Quantitative tightening (QT) and how does it affect the Euro?

Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE. It is undertaken after QE when an economic recovery is underway and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the European Central Bank (ECB) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to provide them with liquidity, in QT the ECB stops buying more bonds, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It is usually positive (or bullish) for the Euro.

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