Economics

ECB Mustn’t Overreact to High Near-Term Inflation, Chief Economist Lane Warns

  • Important for ECB to be seen as ‘symmetric’ in its commitment
  • Says currently high inflation is not expected to persist

Philip Lane

Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg
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The European Central Bank must be careful not to overreact to high near-term inflation, chief economist Philip Lane said, arguing that an aggressive response could lead to too-weak price pressures down the line.

It’s crucial to prevent “an excessive monetary tightening that pushes inflation persistently below the 2% target over the medium term,” Lane said at a virtual event hosted by MNI on Thursday. To reach their goal, policy makers also shouldn’t underreact to emerging risks.