The much heralded asset-backed securities purchase programme will only yield about \u00e2\u201a\u00ac250bn-\u00e2\u201a\u00ac450bn in assets over the next two years. More LTRO (or the newer targeted LTRO) will prove a challenge as sovereign bond yields in Europe are so low that a large balance sheet expansion through this means seems impractical. Perhaps there is another \u00e2\u201a\u00ac500bn-\u00e2\u201a\u00ac750bn to do over the next year or two. Outright purchases of sovereign debt would prove politically difficult, as many would interpret such purchases as violating the ECB\u2019s mandate and the matter would probably end up in the European courts.<\/p>\n
The bottom line is that none of the tools currently on the table will get the job done. There are not enough assets to purchase or finance and the timetable to get anything done is too long. Policy makers do not have the luxury of a year or two to figure this out. The ECB balance sheet shrinks virtually daily and as it shrinks, the monetary base of Europe is contracting and putting downward pressure on prices. Europe is clearly in danger of falling into the liquidity trap, if it is not already there. The likelihood of a \u201clost decade\u201d\u009d like that experienced in Japan is rapidly increasing. The ECB must act and act quickly.<\/p>\n