It Will Take More Than ECB Rate Cuts for the Eurozone to Fully Recover
The European Central Bank’s (ECB) surprise rate cuts on Sept. 4 — reducing its main lending and deposit rates by 10 basis points — show that its policies so far have been inadequate to solve the euro-area’s economic malaise. Economic growth has stalled, and deflation remains a threat in the eurozone. The rate cuts may help to weaken the euro further in the currency markets, but nobody should be under any illusion that banks will start lending or expanding their deposits as a result of the rate cuts alone, or that these cuts will trigger a wider economic recovery.
The key part of the announcement was the statement by ECB President Draghi that the ECB will begin purchases of asset-backed securities (ABS) and covered bonds in October. Without specifying the size of the asset purchases, he said that this would have a “sizeable impact” on the ECB’s balance sheet. However, I see several issues that will need to be addressed:
- The ECB is apparently still unwilling to buy government and corporate bonds in a full-scale quantitative easing (QE) program.
- The scheme needs to be well designed (unlike the previous LTRO program, which failed to increase commercial bank lending). That means the purchases must be mainly from non-banks — not, as he specified, confined to “claims against the euro-area non-financial private sector.”
- The program needs to be very substantial in scale — at least EUR 2 trillion in size, perhaps spread over a year or two years. However, this is far greater than market expectations. Currently there are few existing ABS that the ECB is willing to buy. Hence the size of the program is unlikely to be large enough.
To be fair, a full-scale QE program has not been entirely ruled out, and Mr. Draghi mentioned that there were some Governing Council members who wanted to do more (i.e., start QE). But the ECB is a slow-moving, consensual organization. It will take many months of continued economic weakness — and perhaps even the emergence of true deflation across the eurozone as a whole — to force the Governing Council to act. Sadly, precious time is being wasted.
For the equity markets there may be enough enthusiasm about the prospects of ECB action to keep asset prices buoyant, but markets cannot live on hope (or Mr. Draghi’s promises) alone. The ECB will need to enlarge substantially the size of its balance sheet. Meantime, based on its Sept. 4 announcements, initially the most benign effects are likely to be on the currency (weakening the euro relative to competitors), and in the bond markets of the periphery (helping yields to decline even further). Longer term, unless real growth and nominal growth both revive, investors may start to look to asset classes and markets with better fundamental prospects elsewhere.
Important Information
Asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment or call risk, which is the risk that the borrower’s payments may be received earlier or later than expected. When interest rates are falling, the Fund may reinvest these early payments at lower interest rates, thereby reducing income. When rates rise, prepayments may happen more slowly, causing the security to lengthen in duration and potentially increasing volatility.
The risks of investing in securities of foreign issuers can include fluctuations in foreign currencies, political and economic instability, and foreign taxation issues.
Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise and vice versa.
Many countries in the European Union are susceptible to high economic risks associated with high levels of debt, notably due to investments in sovereign debts of European countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain.
The information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation of the suitability of any investment strategy for a particular investor. Invesco does not provide tax advice. The tax information contained herein is general and is not exhaustive by nature. Federal and state tax laws are complex and constantly changing. Investors should always consult their own legal or tax professional for information concerning their individual situation. The opinions expressed are those of the authors, are based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice. These opinions may differ from those of other Invesco investment professionals.
NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NO BANK GUARANTEE
All data provided by Invesco unless otherwise noted.
Invesco Distributors, Inc. is the US distributor for Invesco Ltd.’s retail products and collective trust funds. Invesco Advisers, Inc. and other affiliated investment advisers mentioned provide investment advisory services and do not sell securities. Invesco Unit Investment Trusts are distributed by the sponsor, Invesco Capital Markets, Inc., and broker-dealers including Invesco Distributors, Inc. PowerShares® is a registered trademark of Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC (Invesco PowerShares). Each entity is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd.
©2014 Invesco Ltd. All rights reserved.
