“Whatever it takes”

This is the bold pledge made by the governor of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, in reference to what the Europe’s central bank is willing to do to help stop countries leaving the euro.  This statement of intent was made at the end of July but investors had to wait until the beginning of September for the details of how far the ECB was willing to go.  And the ECB has brought out the big guns to prove its resolution but it remains to be seen whether the full might of the ECB will be enough.

The central part of the new policy was that the ECB would purchase an unlimited amount of bonds of indebted countries suffering from high interest rates.  The fact that the ECB has set no limit on funds available for bond purchases is meant to stop investors selling bonds of European governments in the expectation that the interest rates will rise (interest rates get higher if bonds are sold off and their price falls).  If the ECB is always ready to buy bonds, the price of bonds is less likely to fall and this will create an environment where other investors will be motivated to also buy. 

And in theory, it is a good time to buy.  The worries that a breakup of the Eurozone will prompt governments to default on their debt have prompted investors to sell off the bonds of countries such as Spain who are expected to have difficulties in paying their bills.  If the fears of default can be soothed, the prices of bonds will seem cheap.  So, the ECB is betting on its ability to calm the nerves in the market and could actually make a profit on its buying of bonds.

This new stance is not without its problems.  The help for troubled countries from the ECB is not unconditional and governments must agree to reforms to the economy which would be supervised by the EU and the IMF for the ECB to buy their bonds.  Spain is seen as a prime candidate for this support but the harsh reality of having to submit to orders from others has made the government reluctant to seek assistance. 

 

The ECB could be caught in a dilemma if a country does not toe the line after having their bonds propped up by the ECB despite having signed on for reforms.  If the ECB stops its bond purchases for such a country, default would be highly likely and this is exactly the result that the policy is intended to stop.  There are concerns with the ECB along with the EU and the IMF having control over governments which have been democratically elected by their citizens.  While an undesirable outcome of the sovereign debt crisis, the greater power of these unelected bodies is the result of governments being unable to sort out the problems themselves. 

But perhaps the biggest concern is the slim possibility that that the unlimited firepower of the ECB will not have enough punch.  Pessimists may bet against the ECB to test its resolve.  There are numerous parties which are unhappy with the new position taken by the ECB.  In particular, policies makers in Germany have made public their displeasure and this will grow with the amount of funds which the ECB uses to buy up bonds increases.  Investors will also second-guess the efforts of countries receiving support as to whether they will stick to what is expected of them by the ECB.  The policy of the ECB has been compared to a bazooka – if you have a big enough gun, no one will mess with you.  But there is the smallest chance that even a bazooka may not be big enough faced with an army of doubters.