European Central Bank

Submitted by Paul-Martin Foss via The Mises Institute,

First it was the Fed, then the ECB (which last week tapered when it reduced the monthly amount of bond purchases under its QE program). Now attention shifts to the Bank of Japan, because as the WSJ writes, one of central banking's most aggressive easers - Kuroda's Bank of Japan - may soon have to think about tightening for the first time since 2007.

Back in March, when the ECB unexpectedly announced it would begin buying corporate bonds, while the German population was rather angry, its media was furious. The best example of the fury came from Germany's Handelsblatt, which in an article titled "The dangerous game with the money of the German savers", the authors provide a metaphorical rendering of what is happening in Europe as follows:

The publication also painted a caricature of the man behind Europe's monetary policy:

ECB 'Bazooka' Extended - Will Buy EUR 60 Billion Per Month Until At Least December 2017

The ECB's 'Bazooka' is back and ‘Super Mario’, the European Central Bank’s monetary magician did not disappoint QE addicted markets yesterday by extending ultra loose monetary policies and quantitative easing until at least December 2017.

European and Asian shares rose again and S&P futures were little changed, as world stocks were set for a weekly gain and held near 16-month highs on Friday, while the euro steadied after swings following the European Central Bank’s decision to extend its stimulus program. Oil rose a second day before a meeting between OPEC and other major producers on output cuts, industrial metals gain.