ECB Meeting Minutes Expose Cracks In Central Bankers' Confidence

The European Central Bank's large scale bond buying plan has done wonders for the region's markets.

With the exception of Greece, European nations' share markets have been on fire since the roll-out of ECB President Mario Draghi's highly anticipated quantitative easing plans.

The stimulus package was also seen improving the bloc's economic struggles, but many are beginning to question whether or not the bank's investment will pay off.

Minutes Show Concern

At the beginning of March, the European Central Bank predicted that the eurozone would grow 2.1 percent in 2017.

The figure was considered a product of the successful implementation of the ECB's bond buying program coupled with economic reform in struggling eurozone nations and gave investors hope that the region was turning a corner.

However, the minutes from that meeting, released last week, show that a strong recovery in the eurozone is anything but certain.

Related Link: Euro/Dollar Parity: What's Next?

Projections Uncertain

That 2.1 percent growth target was based on a number of factors, which ECB members said were far from being set in stone. For one, the bank's assessment of growth depended largely on oil prices remaining low throughout the next two years.

While many analysts believe that oil prices are likely to be persistently weak in the coming years due to an imbalance between supply and demand, several scenarios in which production is reduced are possible as well.

Difficulty Agreeing

Additionally, many worry that the bank's growth forecast was too optimistic regarding the willingness of eurozone nations to carry out the necessary reforms to repair the region's fractured financial system.

If the ongoing battle in Greece is any indication of the bloc's ability to come together and agree on similar fiscal objectives, there is going to be a bumpy road ahead.

Posted In: NewsEurozoneGlobalTop StoriesMarketsEuropean Central BankMario Draghi
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