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Driven by the Markets? ECB Sovereign Bond Purchases and the Securities Markets Programme

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  • Belke, Ansgar

Abstract

After the dramatic rescue package for the euro area, the governing council of the European Central Bank decided to purchase European government bonds - to ensure an 'orderly monetary policy transmission mechanism'. Many observers argued that, by bond purchases, national fiscal policies could from now on dominate the common monetary policy. This note argues that they are quite right. The ECB has indeed become more dependent in political and financial terms. The ECB has decided to sterilise its bond purchases - compensating those purchases through sales of other bonds or money market instruments to keep the overall money supply unaffected. This is to counter accusations that the ECB is monetizing government debt. This note addresses how effective these sterilisation policies are.

Suggested Citation

  • Belke, Ansgar, 2010. "Driven by the Markets? ECB Sovereign Bond Purchases and the Securities Markets Programme," Ruhr Economic Papers 194, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:194
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gerlach, Stefan & Schulz, Alexander & Wolff, Guntram B., 2010. "Banking and sovereign risk in the euro area," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2010,09, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    2. Ansgar Belke, 2010. "How Much Fiscal Backing Must the ECB Have?: The Euro Area Is Not the Philippines," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 996, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Attinasi, Maria Grazia & Checherita-Westphal, Cristina & Nickel, Christiane, 2009. "What explains the surge in euro area sovereign spreads during the financial crisis of 2007-09?," Working Paper Series 1131, European Central Bank.
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    1. repec:zbw:rwirep:0447 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. repec:zbw:rwirep:0207 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Belke, Ansgar, 2017. "Central bank communication: Managing expectations through the monetary dialogue," Ruhr Economic Papers 692, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    4. Belke Ansgar, 2013. "Non-Standard Monetary Policy Measures – Magic Wand or Tiger by the Tail?," Review of Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 64(3), pages 341-368, December.
    5. Schwäbe, Carsten, 2013. "Unkonventionelle Geldpolitik: Warum die Europäische Zentralbank ihre Unabhängigkeit nicht verloren hat," CIW Discussion Papers 3/2013, University of Münster, Center for Interdisciplinary Economics (CIW).
    6. Dana Kiseľáková & Paulina Filip & Erika Onuferová & Tomáš Valentiny, 2020. "The Impact of Monetary Policies on the Sustainable Economic and Financial Development in the Euro Area Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-21, November.
    7. Sylvia Gloggnitzer & Isabella Lindner, 2011. "Economic Governance Reform and Financial Stabilization in the EU and in the Eurosystem – Treaty-Based and Intergovernmental Decisions," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 4, pages 36-58.
    8. Michael Berlemann & Marina Eurich & Erik Haustein, 2022. "Inflation in Deutschland gewinnt an Fahrt [Inflation in Germany gains momentum]," Wirtschaftsdienst, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 102(4), pages 319-320, April.
    9. Ansgar Belke, 2010. "The Euro Area Crisis Management Framework – Consequences and Institutional Follow-ups," Ruhr Economic Papers 0207, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    10. Ansgar Belke, 2013. "Non-Standard Monetary Policy Measures – Magic Wand or Tiger by the Tail?," Ruhr Economic Papers 0447, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    11. Arne Hansen & Dirk Meyer, 2021. "EZB-Schuldverschreibungen — neue Verwendung für ein altes Instrument? [ECB Debt Certificates — New Use for an Old Instrument?]," Wirtschaftsdienst, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 101(9), pages 732-739, September.
    12. Jerger, Jürgen & Röhe, Oke, 2012. "Die Unabhängigkeit von Zentralbanken - Ökonomische Begründung, Messung und Zukunftsperspektive," University of Regensburg Working Papers in Business, Economics and Management Information Systems 464, University of Regensburg, Department of Economics.
    13. Velimir Lukić, 2016. "Integration of Government Bond Market in the Euro Area and Monetary Policy," Journal of Central Banking Theory and Practice, Central bank of Montenegro, vol. 5(1), pages 71-97.
    14. Belke, Ansgar, 2010. "The Euro Area Crisis Management Framework – Consequences and Institutional Follow-ups," Ruhr Economic Papers 207, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    15. repec:onb:oenbwp:y:2011:i:4:b:2 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Ansgar Belke, 2014. "Exit Strategies and Their Impact on the Euro Area - A Model Based View," Ruhr Economic Papers 0467, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    17. repec:zbw:rwirep:0467 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Ansgar Belke, 2014. "Exit Strategies and Their Impact on the Euro Area – A Model Based View," ROME Working Papers 201401, ROME Network.
    19. Diego Valiante, 2017. "The ‘Visible Hand’ of the ECB’s first quantitative easing," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 601-624, October.
    20. Eichler, Stefan & Hielscher, Kai, 2012. "Does the ECB act as a lender of last resort during the subprime lending crisis?: Evidence from monetary policy reaction models," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 552-568.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    accountability; bail-out; bond purchases; central bank independence; insolvency risk; Securities Markets Programme; transparency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy

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