Markets rise as ECB introduces new stimulus measures

Euro also up against pound and dollar after initial drop

Julian Marr
clock • 3 min read

European markets strengthened - as, somewhat less predictably, did the euro - after the latest measures aimed at boosting growth and inflation in the eurozone were unveiled by the European Central Bank (ECB).

Reaction from investment experts was also broadly positive although there was some unease over the lengths to which the central bank is now having to go to surpass market expectations. On the first anniversary of the ECB's introduction of quantitative easing (QE), the revelation by its chairman Mario Draghi (pictured) that the bank's deposit rate would move 10 basis points further into negative territory, to -0.40%, was not unexpected. Much more so was the decision to expand the asset purchase programme by €20bn (£15.6bn) a month to €80bn and to allow for the purchase of investment grade...

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