Mario Centeno, a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank dovishly commented today on monetary policy in the Eurozone:
- Centeno indicated that '75bp hikes cannot be the norm' and 'sees a lower hike in December.' In his view, monetary policy is approaching levels sufficient to maintain medium-term price stability;
- The predictability of monetary policy would be greater if inflation were to peak soon with Centeno estimating that it will occur later during this quarter. The December meeting will indicate what the ECB's benchmark rate target should be, with current levels according to Centeno being 'neutral';
- A member of the ECB's Governing Council also pointed out that rate hikes in Europe are much riskier than in the US and have a greater impact on financial stress conditions;
- According to Centeno, inflation is not entrenched in the Eurozone, and wage pressures do not pose a significant risk of its rapid return. The ECB's December meeting is expected to provide markets and the public with 'greater predictability' of ECB policy.
EURUSD chart, M1 interval. Source: xStation5