The European Central Bank cut interest rates for the first time in 10 months yesterday and held out the possibility of further policy action to support the recession-hit euro zone economy.

There are several unintended consequences

Responding to a drop in euro zone inflation well below its target level and rising unemployment, the ECB lowered its main rate by a quarter percentage point to a record low 0.50 per cent.

ECB president Mario Draghi, promising to provide as much liquidity as euro zone banks need well into next year and to help smaller companies get access to credit, also indicated that some policymakers had pushed for a bigger cut.

“There was a very, very strong prevailing consensus towards an interest rate cut,” he told a news conference after the ECB’s Governing Council met in Bratislava. “Within that, there was a prevailing consensus for a cut of only 25 basis points.”

The ECB was also “technically ready” to cut its deposit rate from the current zero per cent into negative territory, meaning it would start charging banks for holding their money overnight.

Such a move could encourage the banks to lend out money rather than hold it at the ECB, though it would also probably have a big impact on banks’ own operations and major implications for funding and bond markets. Draghi said the ECB could cope with these – a departure from his previous statements.

“There are several unintended consequences that may stem from this measure,” he said of a negative deposit rate. “We will address and cope with these consequences if we decide to act. And we will again look at this with an open mind and we stand ready to act if needed.”

Yesterday’s cut in the main rate had been widely expected after Draghi said last month that the ECB stood ready to act, but few economists expect it to make a decisive difference.

Acknowledging that, the ECB said it would prime banks with as much liquidity as they need until at least July 2014 and look at ways to boost lending to smaller companies, the lifeblood of Europe’s economies but have been starved of credit in many countries.

“Today’s rate cut mainly provides support for peripheral banks and could boost confidence marginally,” said ING economist Carsten Brzeski.

Draghi stuck with the ECB’s forecast that economic recovery will take hold later in the year but highlighted “downside risks” to that position.

The ECB would “monitor very closely” all incoming evidence, Draghi said, a phrase which in the past has suggested further policy action to come.

Safe haven German Bund futures hit a new record high as Draghi spoke and the euro fell.

Unemployment hit a record high in March and annual inflation plunged to 1.2 per cent in April, pressuring the ECB to cut rates this month to honour its mandate to deliver price stability, which it defines as inflation close to, but below two per cent.

The sudden slump in price pressures has also raised the possibility of the ECB having to look at policy tools beyond interest rates to counter any further slide in inflation. “Ultimately, we think the ECB will have to purchase private-sector assets in order to fix the transmission mechanism,” said Andrew Bosomworth at PIMCO, the world’s largest bond fund.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.