Frankfurt — Mario Draghi signalled on Thursday the European Central Bank (ECB) probably would not stop its quantitative-easing programme without tapering it first, indicating that the stimulus is likely to run past the currently scheduled end-date of March 2017. "An abrupt ending to bond purchases, I think, is unlikely," the ECB president said in a press conference in Frankfurt on Thursday. "We remain committed to preserving a very substantial degree of monetary accommodation." The comments keep the central bank on track for a potential extension of its bond-buying programme as predicted by economists. Draghi said the Governing Council did not discuss any extension or tapering of the programme in this policy meeting, while noting that the publication of fresh economic forecasts in December, as well as the results of internal studies on options to avoid running into bond shortages, will help the decision then. The euro initially rose as much as 0.6% before giving up those gains. The ...
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