ECB

Old Mutual Global Investors' Richard Buxton has highlighted a series of global shocks which could hit equity markets over the next few months as investors return from their seasonal breaks.

Bond managers have said the European Central Bank's move to cut rates and start buying asset-backed securities in Europe means it is now unlikely to implement a mainstream QE programme.

Markets across the globe were mixed overnight as investors reacted to a series of stimulus measures introduced in Europe to stave off the downturn.

The European Central Bank has cut its headline interest rate by ten basis points to 0.05%, prompting the euro to slump against the dollar, and said it will begin a long-awaited asset purchase programme in the coming months.

There has been forward guidance, backtracking, and a lot of false starts, but as the world's largest economies continue to recover, the question over which developed region will raise rates first looms large.

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Inflation is Europe has become worryingly low, and the situation is reminiscent of Japan in the 1990s. Rathbones' Mona Shah explores whether the ECB's actions will be enough to prevent a downward spiral.

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