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The
ECB earlier this month tasked its internal committees to explore
"options" to keep its 1.74 trillion euro asset buying program
running smoothly and said the groups would have full scope to
look at everything within the bank's mandate.
When asked about the purchase of stocks, Jazbec said: "We are
constantly talking about those things because we are looking at
all possibilities that could help make the ECB's monetary policy
even more effective."
But he added that the Governing Council will examine data and
the committees' recommendations before making a decision so it
was too early to say whether stocks would be an appropriate
tool.
The ECB has eased monetary policy aggressive in recent years to
revive growth and inflation but the stimulus has worked slower
than expected and data indicate that price growth will miss its
target even in 2018, putting pressure on the bank to unveil even
more stimulus.
Markets expect the bank to extend its asset buying program, now
due to end in March, by at least six months but few expect new
types of assets to be included in the scheme.
Jazbec, who spoke on the sidelines of a banking conference,
added that lending growth, a key objective of the ECB, has been
insufficient, a complication for the euro zone's bloated bank
sector.
"The banking system is prepared to extend loans but there is
insufficient demand and that raises questions about the business
models of banks in Slovenia and the euro area," said Jazbec,
Slovenia's central bank chief.
(Reporting by Marja Novak; Writing by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by
Toby Chopra)
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