ECB minutes firmly point to Dec for decision over asset buys

Frankfurt

EUROPEAN Central Bank rate setters meeting last month agreed on the need to maintain unprecedented monetary stimulus and to decide in December whether to extend the ECB's 1.74 trillion euro (S$2.63 trillion) asset buys, minutes of the meeting showed on Thursday.

Core inflation still lacks a convincing upward trend and wage growth has been unexpectedly subdued, but the eurozone economy is developing along the path seen earlier so it was premature to make a call either way, minutes of the Oct 20 meeting showed, repeating policymakers widely discussed view.