ECB
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Question marks over the ECB’s governance
When Sabine Lautenschlaeger became the fourth representative of Germany on the ECB governing bodies to resign on former President Mario Draghi’s watch, the issues of his legacy and the collegiality in the EU’s central bank have come to the fore. Growing doubts over the bank’s stimulus policies combined with ignoring dissenters among the bank’s governors and executive board members bode ill for longer-term effectiveness of this critical Europan institution. New ECB President Christine Lagarde may not yet appreciate the problem.
25 years after Maastricht, the euro is worth rescuing
It was Brussels’ misguided political agenda of an “ever-closer union” and economic “harmonization” that brought the euro into its current trouble. The common currency is worth salvaging. It can work fine and be of great benefit to the European community if put on sound macroeconomic and institutional footing.
Loose monetary policy could be on its way out
In March, the United States Federal Reserve kept its main interest rate on hold, while the European Central Bank cut its main interest rate to zero. The moves confirmed what investors already knew: the American and European economies still have plenty of weaknesses. But despite appearances, the Fed and the ...
Europe weighs its options to deal with troubled banks
European banks are in bad shape, and shareholders and bondholders are feeling the heat. With governments and regulators still groping for a solution, various options have bubbled to the surface. Summary <i>Three main responses have been proposed to Europe’s banking crisis: 1) more stringent regulation and ...
Global trends: Europe’s weak spots ready to become new crises
Europe’s leaders have failed to solve the structural problems revealed by the crisis of 2008. Nor have they grappled with issues that have emerged in recent years. Examples include high public debt, the stock market bubble and distorted risk perceptions caused by the eurozone’s artificially low interest rates. For now, ...
