ECB Race May Leave Liikanen as a Compromise Candidate

A jazz-loving Finn with a reputation for consensus building may emerge as a compromise candidate to lead the European Central Bank during its first cycle of interest-rate increases for more than three years.

Erkki Liikanen’s chances for the top ECB job have increased after front-runner Axel Weber resigned from the Bundesbank last week, according to economists Julian Callow from Barclays Capital, Jens Sondergaard at Nomura International Plc and Tiina Helenius, Finland chief economist at Svenska Handelsbanken AB.