segunda-feira, 30 de junho de 2014

With strings



«(...) [The] increase in the euro's value against the dollar since 2011 had driven down the price of commodities such as fuel in euro terms, contributing to low inflation. (…) [The] central bank might take steps to encourage banks to lend more. (…) [Mario Draghi also] cited data showing that even profitable companies in (...) Portugal have trouble getting banks loans. (…) [One-third] of Portuguese companies face credit constraints, Mr Draghi said, compared with only 1 percent in Germany and Austria. (…) There has been speculation the European Central Bank might issue cheap loans to euro zone banks, with strings attached to ensure they lend the money to businesses rather than investing bonds, as that happened in the past.

Jack Ewing (Sintra, Portugal), «E.C.B.seeks a strategy for staving off deflation», International New York Times, Tuesday, May 27, 2014, p.15