ECB Minutes: Policymakers were in unanimous support of policy proposals

Below are some of the key highlights from the European Central Bank (ECB) Monetary Policy Meeting Accounts (minutes), published this Thursday.

   •  Rate guidance strikes balance between precision and flexibility.
   •  Given the uncertainty, it is prudent to leave the end of QE conditional on incoming data.
   •  Interest rates to stay at current levels, as long as needed, in order to raise inflation towards the target.
   •  Open-ended character of interest rate guidance should be emphasized.
   •  Governing council saw the impact of asset purchases on inflation as waning.
   •  Widely cautioned that slowdown was likely to extend into Q2 for some countries, implying near-term risks.
   •  Policymakers were in unanimous support of policy proposals.
   •  Risks to growth outlook are broadly balanced even if global risk factors increasingly prominent.