Article 6 June 19, 2024  

The ECB Policy Nightmare and Rate Cut Mistake

9 June, 2024Sin categoríaDaniel Lacalle

The ECB decided to cut rates by 25 basis points the same day it elevated its own inflation estimates for 2024 and 2025. You simply cannot make this up. If you wanted unmistakable proof of the lack of independence of central banks, this is it. The ECB only has one mandate, price stability, and has violated it for nearly four years. Why? The purpose is to fund the biggest expansion of the government’s size since the euro’s inception and uphold the delusion of a sovereign debt bubble.

We must remember that the ECB has not implemented a restrictive policy at all. It has kept the “anti-fragmentation tool,” which disguises the real risk of sovereign issuers and should be called the “anti-market tool.” This has allowed governments that have increased their fiscal imbalances to keep an artificially low-risk premium versus the German bond. Furthermore, the ECB continues to repurchase part of the bond maturities and the EU launched the Next Generation Fund, which is another massive money-printing exercise.

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Daniel Lacalle – In English , June 9, 2024