ECB Lagarde
  • Inflation elevated for longer than thought
  • Inflation rise is due to energy
  • Economy hurt less by pandemic
  • Growth subdued in Q1
  • Shortages are restraining activity and remained a headwind
  • Bottlenecks may be starting to ease but may persist for some time
  • Inflation increased to 5.1% y/y in January and is likely to remain high in the near term
  • The direct impact of energy accounted for half of the rise in January
  • Wage growth is muted
  • Risks to the outlook are broadly balanced over medium term
  • Upside risks around household spending
  • Downside risks include geopolitical tensions and persistently high cost of energy
  • Inflation risks are tilted to the upside, particularly in the near term

The euro has made some decent headway during her opening statement, rising to 1.1319.