What to watch at this week's ECB meeting - ING

Carsten Brzeski, a Chief Economist ING Germany, suggests that, with the eurozone economy somewhat stabilizing and inflation still quite far off the ECB’s target, there are hardly any economic arguments for Europe's central bank to adjust its monetary policy. 

• "Judging from latest comments by senior ECB officials, a majority of the Governing Council seems happy with the current stance - any changes, even in the ‘soft’ communication, in our view would be a surprise.
• Even without any changes to the monetary policy, this week’s ECB meeting should be anything but boring. Here are four things to look out for:

1. Latest staff projections. Back in September, downward revisions of particularly the 2020 inflation forecasts, had been one the main arguments for the ECB’s relaunch of quantitative easing and another rate cut. The latest round of staff projections will very likely confirm the September projections.
2. Adverse effects of unconventional measures. While the ECB’s last ‘Financial Stability Review’ acknowledged the adverse effects of unconventional monetary policy measures on the financial sector, leading figures from the Executive Board still emphasize the positive impact from, particularly negative interest rates. Chief Economist Philip Lane, for example, called current interest rate levels as not “super loose”. We will closely listen to Christine Lagarde to identify any changes in the ECB’s communication on the adverse effects, eventually leading to policy changes in 2020.
3. Defining the Lagarde-style. Mario Draghi made a strong entrance at his very first press conference, elaborating on details of economic data. In the eight years of his term in office, there was never a slip of the tongue. Instead, the Draghi-style represented clear (at the risk of being boring) technical communication. As Christine Lagarde’s comments on monetary policy and vision has been rather sparse since she entered office on 1 November, market participants will closely watch her first press conference. We don’t expect Lagarde to structurally change the introductory statement but will be looking for any changes in style and language in the Q&A session.
4. Strategic review and therapeutical session. While there should be little news on short-term monetary policy, markets will look at any hints on the upcoming strategic review as well as any comments on the rift between hawks and doves in the Governing Council."