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| Huge demand for ECB's three-year loans | Huge demand for ECB's three-year loans |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Eurozone banks have rushed to take out cheap three-year loans offered by the European Central Bank, borrowing 489bn euros ($643bn; £375bn). | |
| The central bank had hoped to lend up to 450bn euros to stop another credit crunch crippling the banking system. | |
| When the plan was announced, French President Nicholas Sarkozy said banks could use the money to invest in eurozone sovereign debt. | |
| However, analysts were uncertain if banks will use the money in this way. | |
| "The very heavy take-up of the ECB's three-year long-term refinancing operation (LTRO) provides some encouragement that banks' liquidity needs are being amply met," said Jonathon Loynes, Chief European Economist at Capital Economics. | |
| "But while this might help to address recent signs of renewed tensions in credit markets and support bank lending, we remain sceptical of the idea that the operation will ease the sovereign debt crisis too as banks use the funds to purchase large volumes of peripheral government bonds." | |
| This was the European Central Bank's first offer of three-year loans and although the offer was seen as a success, its impact on the eurozone economy is still unsure. | |
| "This is good. It's a positive number, at the top end of expectations. You have to regard it as a positive result. This is at least a solid 240bn-euro increase for banks. But it is still short of covering all of the banks' financing for next year," said James Nixon at Societe Generale. | |
| Some suggest the money will be used to boost bank balance sheets, especially since the ECB lowered its collateral requirements when it announced the loans, enabling weaker banks to apply for the funds. | Some suggest the money will be used to boost bank balance sheets, especially since the ECB lowered its collateral requirements when it announced the loans, enabling weaker banks to apply for the funds. |
| "A cash for trash mechanism allowing banks to access cheap funds and buy up more sovereign debt - or more likely just shore up their own finances," said Justin Urquhart Stewart of Seven Investment Management. | "A cash for trash mechanism allowing banks to access cheap funds and buy up more sovereign debt - or more likely just shore up their own finances," said Justin Urquhart Stewart of Seven Investment Management. |
| Carsten Brzeski, economist at ING, said: "The good news is that banks won't have to worry about liquidity for three years and that it has already pushed down government yields as banks are buying them to use as collateral. | Carsten Brzeski, economist at ING, said: "The good news is that banks won't have to worry about liquidity for three years and that it has already pushed down government yields as banks are buying them to use as collateral. |
| "However, whether the ECB's hopes that the money will filter through to the real economy will be fulfilled remains to be seen." | "However, whether the ECB's hopes that the money will filter through to the real economy will be fulfilled remains to be seen." |
| There are hopes that the banks taking the loans from the ECB at low interest rates will then buy sovereign bonds from countries such as Italy and Spain which offer a much higher yield, dubbed Sarkozy trade after the French president's encouragement for banks to do this. | |