Draghi seen hitting ECB asset target despite some policymakers' QE qualms

Frankfurt

MARIO Draghi will succeed in boosting the European Central Bank's (ECB) balance sheet back towards US$3.75 trillion, though he'll have to override some policymakers' qualms on quantitative easing (QE) to do so.

That's the majority view of economists in Bloomberg's monthly survey, who have become more optimistic that the ECB president will meet his goal. Most predicted he'll have to buy more than covered bonds and asset-backed securities (ABS) though, and 72 per cent said any stimulus expansion will be against the wishes of some national central-bank governors.

"If private-sector asset purchases are insufficient then sovereign bonds will then like…