• warns that low interest rates have side effects that increase the longer they stay low
  • deflation risk is very limited
  • there is risk that govts and privatee sector get used to cheap money and neglect structural reforms

BUBA chief and ECB governing council member quoted on rtrs from a newspaper interview, so not exactly ground breaking time wise or mantra wise , but worth noting he says “very limited” risk of deflation rather than ruling it out completely

Euro a tad lower .

Add:

  • traditional instruments are less effective when interest rates close to zero
  • can’t rule out banks passing on costs of negative depo rates in loan costs
  • sceptical of central banks trying to force banks to lend to certain sectors and regions
  • if ECB does more LTRO’s then they should discourage banks from buying govt bonds as carry-trades