ECB Keeps Rates, Statement Unchanged; QE To Run Until “December 2017 Or Beyond”

The ECB has kept not only its three key rates and pace of QE unchanged, but also its most recent statement, reiterating that it sees QE “at the current monthly pace of €60 billion, are intended to run until the end of December 2017, or beyond, if necessary”, sees rates at present level well past the end of QE – according to more than half of economists in a recent Bloomberg survey, the ECB will keep its rates on hold until 2019 -and that QE will run until the inflation path has sustainably adjusted.

The Full statement:

At today’s meeting the Governing Council of the ECB decided that the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 0.00%, 0.25% and -0.40% respectively. The Governing Council expects the key ECB interest rates to remain at their present levels for an extended period of time, and well past the horizon of the net asset purchases.

Regarding non-standard monetary policy measures, the Governing Council confirms that the net asset purchases, at the current monthly pace of €60 billion, are intended to run until the end of December 2017, or beyond, if necessary, and in any case until the Governing Council sees a sustained adjustment in the path of inflation consistent with its inflation aim. The net purchases are made alongside reinvestments of the principal payments from maturing securities purchased under the asset purchase programme. If the outlook becomes less favourable, or if financial conditions become inconsistent with further progress towards a sustained adjustment in the path of inflation, the Governing Council stands ready to increase the programme in terms of size and/or duration.

The President of the ECB will comment on the considerations underlying these decisions at a press conference starting at 14:30 CET today.