Wednesday, March 9, 2016

A recession in Europe could lead to the collapse of the Eurozone, as the single currency would buckle under the political turmoil unleashed by a fresh downturn, a leading investment bank has warned.  In a research note titled "Close to the edge", economists at Swiss bank Credit Suisse warned the fate of monetary union hangs in the balance if Europe's policymakers are unable to ward off another global slump and quell anti-euro populism.  "The viability of the euro is contingent on the current recovery," said Peter Foley at Credit Suisse.  "If the euro area were to relapse back into recession, it is not clear it would endure."  Although the bloc's nascent recovery was likely to persist in the coming months, Credit Suisse said there were worrying signs of deterioration emanating from Europe's economies. These include heightened credit stress in the banking sector and market volatility.    Benoit Cœuré , executive board member at the ECB, said the central bank's policy stance could not "become a source of uncertainty" for expectant markets. "In the still fragile environment we face today, what is essential is that policy works to reduce uncertainty," Mr Cœuré  said on Wednesday.  He admitted that the ECB's move into negative interest rates could have adverse effects on the continent's lenders, hinting policymakers would mitigate the impact of its -0.3pc deposit rate on bank profitability. "We are well aware of this issue. We are monitoring it on a regular basis and we are studying carefully the schemes used in other jurisdictions to mitigate possible adverse consequences for the bank lending channel," said Mr Cœuré .

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