European Central Bank

The launch of a Sovereign Bond-Backed Security (SBBS) is advocated by EU leaders as the best way to overcome the flaws inherent in the monetary union, which became notably obvious after the euro debt crisis of 2009. The SBBS is supposed to offer European investors new reliable stores of value, ...

Unconventional monetary policies saved many financial institutions in the U.S. and Europe after the financial crisis. However, near-zero to negative interest rates and central banks’ massive debt-purchasing programs, which pumped trillions of dollars and euros into economies, failed to restore growth and have had potent, negative and lasting side-effects. Relaxing ...

The 2008 U.S. housing crash and the European debt crisis led many politicians to question the importance of independent central banks. However, this approach is not without consequences. There are now several patterns of influence on central banks, ranging from direct political meddling to more subtle institutional pressure. Left unchecked, ...

Low, near-zero and negative interest rates around the world are depriving savers of potential earnings. Just a couple of years ago, it seemed as if a normalization of interest rates was on the horizon. Now, however, economic and political realities portend a “low-for-long” scenario. In fact, central bankers – in ...