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ECB's Bond-Buying Proposal

The bond-buying proposal announced by the ECB this week has been well received by financial markets. Under the plan, the ECB will buy unlimited amounts of European sovereign bonds. To keep Germany happy, the bond purchases will be sterilized by offering banks low-interest term deposits of about one week. However, the bond purchase scheme is conditional on countries introducing severe austerity measures. Matthew Yglesias in an article in Slate has labelled this power grab by the ECB immoral, and he argues that Spain, Italy, and Portugal should exit the euro.

   

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