Lagarde speech: We will do whatever it is necessary to achieve the target of inflation

The president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, said Friday: “We will do what is necessary to achieve the target of inflation.”

Additional quotes

We must have prices stability.

The ECB is completely committed to the objective of inflation.

The economic system needs to become more efficient before the euro can boost its status as a global currency.

The EU needs to further reduce commercial barriers within Europe, simplify regulation.

Market reaction

At the time of writing, the EUR/USD is maintained in the highest land about 1,1780, rising 0.21% in the day.

ECB – FREQUENT QUESTIONS


The European Central Bank (ECB), based in Frankfurt (Germany), is the euro zone reserve bank. The ECB sets interest rates and manages the monetary policy of the region.
The main mandate of the ECB is to maintain prices stability, which means maintaining inflation around 2%. Its main tool to achieve this is to raise or lower interest rates. Relatively high interest rates often translate into a stronger euro, and vice versa.
The BCE Governing Council adopts monetary policy decisions in meetings that are held eight times a year. The decisions are adopted by the directors of the national banks of the euro zone and six permanent members, including the president of the ECB, Christine Lagarde.


In extreme situations, the European Central Bank can launch a political tool called Quantitative Easing (quantitative relaxation). The QE is the process by which the ECB prints euros and uses them to buy assets (normally state or business bonds) to banks and other financial institutions. The result is usually a weaker euro ..
The QE is a last resort when it is unlikely that a simple decrease in interest rates achieves the price stability objective. The ECB used it during the great financial crisis of 2009-11, in 2015 when inflation remained stubbornly low, as well as during the Coronavirus pandemic.


The quantitative hardening (QT) is the reverse of the QE. It is carried out after the QE, when economic recovery is underway and inflation begins to increase. While in the QE the European Central Bank (ECB) buys state and business bonds from financial institutions to provide liquidity, in the QT the ECB stops buying more bonds and stops reinvesting the main one that overcomes the bonds it already has. It is usually positive (or bullish) for the euro.

Source: Fx Street

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