ECB brings forward new anti-fragmentation tool in response to latest bond market woes

Highlights:

• At today’s unscheduled meeting the Governing Council (GC) announced to flexibility reinvest PEPP redemptions and “to accelerate the completion of the design of a new anti-fragmentation instrument”.
• The recent widening of Southern European bond amid hawkish rates repricing forced the ECB from verbal inter-vention into outright action.
• While today’s announcement will probably appease markets for now. In a knee-jerk reaction the 10-year BTP-Bund spread receded by 25 bps.
• The pressure is now on the ECB to come up with an effective tool not violating the legal framework. A risk of disappointment remains.
• Looking further down the road, an effective anti-fragmentation tool would allow the ECB to move ahead more eagerly with policy normalisation.

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