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ECB’s Lagarde: Europe risks 2008-style crisis because of coronavirus outbreak

Comments by ECB president, Christine Lagarde

  • Warns European leaders of a major economic shock
  • Told European leaders that urgent action is needed now
  • ECB also looking at all policy tools
Her remarks are said to be in a conference call to European leaders yesterday, with Bloomberg reporting on the matter – citing a person familiar with the situation.
Adding that the ECB is said to be looking at measures to provide “super-cheap funding” and ensure that liquidity doesn’t dry up, with Lagarde mentioning that they can only work if governments also throw their weight behind them too.
It looks like she is getting fed up with waiting for lawmakers to do something but again, all she can do is plead so that they will actually start taking action. But as mentioned before, when they do decide to finally move, it may already be too late.
As for the ECB, there is little that they can do to provide actual relief in the market. Modifying TLTROs would be their best bet because lowering rates further and expanding QE is just doing more of the same – which isn’t really saying much after all these years.

A quick glance at the key risk events in markets this week

It is going to be an eventful week in markets despite the slower start today

Let us take a look at what else is on the agenda:

Tuesday, 10 December
– RBA governor Philip Lowe speaks at the AusPayNet Summit in Sydney
– China November CPI data
– Germany December ZEW survey current conditions, expectations
Wednesday, 11 December
– US November CPI data
– FOMC December monetary policy meeting & Fed chair Powell press conference
Thursday, 12 December
– UK general election
– SNB December monetary policy meeting
– ECB December monetary policy meeting & ECB president Lagarde press conference
– BOC governor Stephen Poloz speaks about the Canadian economic outlook for 2020
Friday, 13 December
– US November retail sales data
Sunday, 15 December
– Deadline before US tariffs on $156 billion of Chinese goods go into effect
These will be the key ones to pay attention to but there will also be other smaller data releases during the week that will also have some say to the ebb and flow of things.
As such, fret not about the lack of meaningful moves in markets so far today. Things will surely heat up over the next few days.
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