ECB to halve bond purchases from April – Reuters poll

After April, the central bank is set to carry on buying 40 billion euros of bonds a month through the end of next year, with some forecasting ECB buys through to mid-2023.

The median from 21 forecasts showed a 20 billion euros APP top-up for a total of 40 billion euros.

But 13 of a slightly smaller sample of 20 respondents to an additional question said if the ECB approves an APP increase, there would be an envelope covering a longer period. The rest said it would be in set monthly volumes.

About 70% or 18 of 26, who responded to an additional question said the APP would finish by end-2023, while five said by Q4 2024 and three said Q4 2025.

Consensus forecasts for eurozone inflation, meanwhile, rose for a sixth consecutive monthly poll, set to top the European Central Bank's 2% target through Q3 of next year.

The economy was expected to grow 0.6% this quarter and 0.7% in the next.

It was expected to average 4.2% next year, unchanged from last month's poll and slow to 2.3% in 2023, up from 2.1%.

About 60%, or 18 of 31 respondents, said the spread of new coronavirus variants was the biggest downside risk to the eurozone economy next year.