Eurozone economy "signs of improvement" President Lagarde, European Central Bank, December 13, 4:05

The President of the European Central Bank, Mr. Lagarde, took a press conference after the first board meeting after taking office. He showed that there were signs.

On the 12th, the European Central Bank opened its board of directors in Frankfurt, Germany, to decide the first monetary policy after Lagarde took office last month.

As a result, it is necessary to determine the effect of a series of policies on the economy in the region, such as the interest rate cut for the first time in three and a half years decided in September under the former President of Draghi. Decided to keep the interest rate for depositing funds from financial institutions at -0.5%.

Lagarde said at a press conference after the board of directors that the Eurozone economy has continued to face downside risks due to factors such as geopolitical factors and the rise of protectionism. Although the UK's withdrawal from the EU and trade frictions between the United States and China have been hit, they showed that there are signs of improvement.

He said that the situation is different from Japan, where low interest rates and low growth continue. However, regarding the future monetary policy, the attitude to support the economy by all means was clarified, as interest rates could be further lowered depending on the situation.

On that basis, President Lagarde said, “I will proceed in my way,” emphasizing the stance to steer monetary policy without being bound by the idea of ​​the previous system.