Frankfurt, Germany | Xinhua | The European Central Bank (ECB) unveiled on Thursday a roadmap to wind down stimulus policies and possibly raise interest rates later in 2022. The decision to taper and possibly reverse a years-long policy of negative interest rates came at a time when inflation in the euro …
Read More »20 years on, euro has yet to tap its int’l potential
Frankfurt, Germany | Xinhua | The euro, a currency shared by 19 European countries, has won overwhelming support among the 340 million Europeans since it went into circulation 20 years ago. The idea of a single currency for Europe, which originated in 1970 when policy makers in Europe hoped to achieve …
Read More »ECB keeps monetary policy unchanged ahead of EU summit
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The European Central Bank (ECB) said on Thursday that it decided to keep monetary policy unchanged in its July meeting. The 19-nation eurozone base interest rate will remain at 0.00 percent, with the marginal lending rate and deposit rate remaining at 0.25 percent and minus 0.50 …
Read More »Eyes on ECB for bigger virus-fighting moves
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | The European Central Bank could reiterate Thursday its power to do more still to cushion the eurozone economy from the impact of the novel coronavirus, analysts said, while maintaining pressure on governments to agree a joint response. ECB chief Christine Lagarde last week warned …
Read More »Ciao, Mario: ECB’s Draghi hands baton to Lagarde
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | ECB chief Mario Draghi bows out Monday, passing the baton to former IMF head Christine Lagarde whose first task will be to heal rifts among policymakers. The man credited with saving the euro during his eight-year tenure at the European Central Bank will be …
Read More »From slowing growth to climate panic: hot topics at Davos 2019
Davos, Switzerland | AFP | The World Economic Forum wrapped up on Friday, closing out a week of panels, parties and sub-zero temperatures with more serious talk dominated by climate change and gloom over slowing growth. Here are some of the top quotes on key issues over the past week. – …
Read More »IMF chief speaks out on digital currencies
Washington, US | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Monetary Fund is seeking a leading role in rallying the world’s central banks to get ahead of digital money and crypto currencies in the global financial system. The IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, wants authorities to “distinguish between real threats and needless …
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