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But Mr Praet acknowledged that the longer the low rate environment persisted, “the greater the challenges for bank profitability will be”, adding:
"This is because many of the benefits of monetary accommodation for bank balance sheets, such as the concomitant capital gains, are unlikely to occur on a continuous basis, whereas the drawbacks are likely to remain in place – for instance due to the downward stickiness of interest rates on retail deposits, which implies a squeeze in net interest margins if lending rates and yields were to remain at their current low levels for long.
And the underperformance of bank equities may actually be testament to such concerns."
Despite these concerns, the central bank would not be forced to reverse on its accommodative policy stance until inflation has reached its near but below 2 per cent target, said the chief economist. Consumer prices inflation is currently at just 0.5 per cent.
A combination of weak growth, low productivity and falling levels of potential growth in the eurozone economy means “the constellation of very low interest rates will probably prevail for an extended period of time”, he said.
"This is because many of the benefits of monetary accommodation for bank balance sheets, such as the concomitant capital gains, are unlikely to occur on a continuous basis, whereas the drawbacks are likely to remain in place – for instance due to the downward stickiness of interest rates on retail deposits, which implies a squeeze in net interest margins if lending rates and yields were to remain at their current low levels for long.
And the underperformance of bank equities may actually be testament to such concerns."
Despite these concerns, the central bank would not be forced to reverse on its accommodative policy stance until inflation has reached its near but below 2 per cent target, said the chief economist. Consumer prices inflation is currently at just 0.5 per cent.
A combination of weak growth, low productivity and falling levels of potential growth in the eurozone economy means “the constellation of very low interest rates will probably prevail for an extended period of time”, he said.
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