ECB to buy 1.14tn euros of bonds until Sept. 2016


The European Central Bank (ECB) agreed on Thursday to embark on a quantitative easing (QE) program that will see it print money to buy up 60 billion euros worth of sovereign bonds from March until the end of September next year. ECB also said in a statement on Thursday that it was holding its main "refinancing" rate steady at 0.05 percent, and its two other rates -- the marginal lending and the deposit rates -- at 0.30 percent and minus 0.20 percent respectively.The money will include some from existing program. Countries under a bailout program, such as Greece, will be included but with some additional criteria.The ECB is launching the program with a view to buoying the flagging euro zone economy, where inflation has turned negative and - at minus 0.2 percent - is far below the central bank's target of just under 2 percent."Under this expanded program the combined monthly purchases of public and private sector securities will amount to 60 billion euros," ECB President Mario Draghi said at a news conference."They are intended to be carried out until end-September 2016 and will in any case be conducted until we see a sustained adjustment in the path of inflation."