The European Central Bank is preparing to launch a new monetary stimulus programme, with ECB chief Mario Draghi warning Thursday that the eurozone economy is slowing just as global risks to the region's growth prospects are increasing, dpa reported. Draghi said the bank was replenishing its monetary policy toolbox by "intensifying preparations" for a new programme to boost economic growth through buying up government bonds, as well as private and public assets. Together, these would form part of a quantitative easing policy. The ECB "stands ready with a programme that would help to strengthen our accommodative monetary stance by injecting money into the economy," Draghi told a press conference in Frankfurt. He was speaking after the ECB kept its benchmark refinancing rate at a record low of 0.15 per cent and its deposit rate below zero as it sized up the impact to the currency bloc of the slew of measures it announced in June aimed at heading off the threat of deflation and spurring bank lending. -- SPA 18:54 LOCAL TIME 15:54 GMT تغريد
