- Mario Draghi, the ECB President
The European Central Bank is ready to start its massive bond-buying program as soon as all required conditions are met, according to Mario Draghi's speech at a press conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia on Thursday. The ECB kept its main refinancing rate steady at a record low of 0.75 per cent. At the same time, the economic growth in the eurozone is expected to remain weak.
"Significant progress has been made. Significant challenges remain as well," said Mario Draghi, the ECB President. "Economic growth in the euro area is expected to remain weak, with ongoing tensions in some euro-area financial markets and high uncertainty still weighing on confidence and sentiment."
"With the OMT, the ECB has tackled and exorcised fears of an imminent eurozone break-up," said Carsten Brzeski, senior European economist at ING Group in Brussels.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index erased 0.01 per cent to 271.33. Germany's DAX Index lost 0.23 per cent to 7,305.21 and France's CAC 40 Index inched lower 0.14 per cent to 3,401.20.
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