ECB keeps interest range unchanged at 0.00% as widely expected. The central bank now expects to keep interest rates at present levels “at least through the end of 2019”, prolonged from “summer of 2019”.
Also, TLTRO-III is announced, quarterly from September 2019 through March 2021. It’s aiming at preserving favourable bank lending conditions, and smooth transition of monetary policy.
Euro weakens after the release, taking Sterling and Swiss lower too. Focus will now turn to ECB President Mario Draghi’s press conference and new economic projections.
Here is the full statement:
Monetary Policy Decisions
At today’s meeting the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) took the following monetary policy decisions:
(1) 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 now expects the key ECB interest rates to remain at their present levels at least through the end of 2019, and in any case for as long as necessary to ensure the continued sustained convergence of inflation to levels that are below, but close to, 2% over the medium term.
(2) The Governing Council intends to continue reinvesting, in full, the principal payments from maturing securities purchased under the asset purchase programme for an extended period of time past the date when it starts raising the key ECB interest rates, and in any case for as long as necessary to maintain favourable liquidity conditions and an ample degree of monetary accommodation.
(3) A new series of quarterly targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTRO-III) will be launched, starting in September 2019 and ending in March 2021, each with a maturity of two years. These new operations will help to preserve favourable bank lending conditions and the smooth transmission of monetary policy. Under TLTRO-III, counterparties will be entitled to borrow up to 30% of the stock of eligible loans as at 28 February 2019 at a rate indexed to the interest rate on the main refinancing operations over the life of each operation. Like the outstanding TLTRO programme, TLTRO-III will feature built-in incentives for credit conditions to remain favourable. Further details on the precise terms of TLTRO-III will be communicated in due course.
(4) The Eurosystem’s lending operations will continue to be conducted as fixed rate tender procedures with full allotment for as long as necessary, and at least until the end of the reserve maintenance period starting in March 2021.
The President of the ECB will comment on the considerations underlying these decisions at a press conference starting at 14:30 CET today.
