Isabel Schnabel: Monetary policy in times of stubborn inflation
Monetary policy in times of stubborn inflation
Isabel
Schnabel Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank
Anniversary Dinner Porto Business School, 23 November 2023
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Economic growth and inflation in the
euro area since the start of the pandemic Rubric
Real GDP
(index: Q4 2019 = 100)
September 23 ECB staff
projections Realised GDP March 2020 ECB staff projections
103
110
105
100
95
90
85
Inflation
(annual percentage changes, quarterly data)
September 2023 MPE Realised HICP October 2023 March 2020 MPE
2. 0 1. 6 1. 2 0. 8 0. 4 0. 0 -0. 4
2019 2020 2021
2022
2. 9
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
80
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
-2
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Sources: Eurostat, ECB and
Eurosystem.
Latest observation: Q3 2023 for realised GDP
(diamond).
Sources: Eurostat, ECB and Eurosystem.
Latest observation: Q3 2023 for quarterly data, October 2023
for monthly data (diamond).
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ECB has taken determined policy action to tackle
unprecedented inflation surge Rubric
ECB key interest rates
(%)
DFR
MRO
MLF
Monetary
policy assets
(€ billion)
MRO LTRO TLTRO Private APP
Public APP
PEPP
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1 1999
2002
2005
2008
2011
2014
2017
2020
2023
Source: ECB.
Latest
observation: November 2023.
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0 2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
Source: ECB.
Notes: Public APP is PSPP, Private APP is
CBPP3, ABSPP and CSPP.
Latest observation: November 2023.
3
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Inflation has declined
on the back of large base effects related to energy and food Rubric
Crude oil and natural gas prices
(oil: EUR/barrel,
gas: EUR/MWh)
Brent oil spot
TTF gas spot (rhs)
HICP inflation and contributions
(annual percentage
changes and percentage point contribution)
Energy Services
Food HICP
NEIG
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
-2
Jan-21 Jul-21 Jan-22 Jul-22 Jan-23 Jul-23
Sources: Eurostat
and ECB calculations.
Latest observation: October 2023.
0 Jan-21
Oct-21
Jul-22
Apr-23
Sources: Bloomberg and ECB calculations.
Latest
observation: 16 November 2023.
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
4
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Disinflation process is
projected to slow with inflation moving towards 2% by end-2025 Rubric
HICP inflation projections
(annual percentage changes)
September 2023 MPE September 2023 ECB staff projections
October 2023
12 10 8 6 4 2 0 -2
2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
2016 2017
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
-2
HICP excluding energy and food inflation
projections
(annual percentage changes)
September 2023 ECB staff
projections September 2023 MPE October 2023
12 10 8 6 4 2 0 -2
2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
2016 2017
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
-2
Source: September 2023 MPE and Eurostat.
Notes: The
ranges shown around the central projections are based on past
projection errors, after adjustment for outliers. The bands, from
darkest to lightest, depict the 30%, 60% and 90% probabilities that
the outcome will fall within the respective intervals. For more
information, see Box 6 of the March 2023 ECB staff macroeconomic
projections for the euro area.
Latest observation: October
2023 for monthly data (diamond).
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Labour hoarding weakens monetary transmission as labour
shortages persist Rubric
Unemployment rate and employment
(lhs: thousands of persons; rhs: percentage of the labour
force)
Labour as a factor limiting production
(percentage of firms)
Employment (lhs) Unemployment
rate (rhs)
Construction
Services
Industry
165000
160000
155000
150000
145000
140000
135000
13. 0
12.
0
11. 0
10. 0
9. 0
8. 0
7. 0
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
130000
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
6. 0
Sep-23
0 1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
Oct-2023 2023
Source: ECB calculations based on Eurostat data.
Notes: The monthly employment data have been computed manually
as the difference between labour force and unemployment.
Latest observation: September 2023.
Source: European
Commission.
Latest observation: October 2023.
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Strong wage growth and falling
productivity put upward pressure on unit labour costs Rubric
Labour productivity per hour
(index 2019 Q4 = 100)
Wage trackers
(annual percentage change)
Latest agreements Latest agreements including one-offs Indeed
wage tracker ECB negotiated wages
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
104
103
102
101
100
99
98
97
0 22Q1
22Q2
22Q3
22Q4
23Q1
23Q2
23Q3
23Q4
Sources: Calculated
based on micro data on wage agreements provided by Deutsche
Bundesbank, Banco de España, the Dutch employer association (AWVN),
Oesterreichische Nationalbank, Bank of Greece, Banca d ’Italia and
Banque de France.
Notes: Indicator of latest wage agreements
shows the wage growth implied by agreements reached in a quarter for
12 months ahead. Indeed tracker measures wage growth in online job
ads, computed by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Latest
observations: October 2023 for Indeed Wage Tracker; Q3 2023 for
indicators of agreements and ECB negotiated wages.
latest
7
96
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
Sources: ECB calculation based on
Eurostat data.
Notes: The dashed line represents the
historical average from January 2000 to December 2019.
Latest
observation: 2023 Q2.
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Firms
often raised prices above cost increases but are more reluctant to
lower them
Rubric
Contributions to GDP deflator
(annual percentage changes and percentage change
contributions)
Unit taxes Unit labour costs
Unit profits GDP deflator
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Selling price expectations
(share of firms expecting lower/higher selling prices)
Lower
Higher
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2023
2022
Manufacturing
Retail
Services
2023
2022
2022
2023
Sources: Eurostat, ECB calculations.
Notes: Unit taxes refer to unit net indirect taxes defined as
indirect taxes minus subsidies.
Latest observation: 2023 Q2.
Source: European Commission (including Eurostat) and ECB
calculations.
Notes: Data are non-seasonally adjusted.
Latest observation: October 2023.
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Share of services and non-energy goods with very
high inflation rates remains large Rubric
Weighted
distribution of price changes
(%)
Services
Above 5. 0% Between 3. 0% and 5. 0% Between 2. 0% and 3. 0%
Below 2. 0%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
Non-energy industrial goods Above 5. 0% Between
3. 0% and 5. 0% Between 2. 0% and 3. 0% Below 2. 0%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
0%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Source: Eurostat, ECB calculations.
Notes: Based on 39 items for Services and 33 items for Non-
energy industrial goods; the weight of items sums up the weight of
items in the HICP basket in the different categories.
Latest
observation: October 2023.
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Strong transmission of monetary policy to funding costs and
bank lending Rubric
Composite cost of borrowing
(percentages per annum)
Bank loans to firms and
households
(monthly flow in EUR bn)
Firms
Households for house purchase
Loans to firms
Loans to households
8
6
4
2
80
60
40
20
0
-20
0 1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
Sources: ECB (MIR) and ECB
calculations.
Notes: The indicator for the total cost of bank
borrowing for firms is calculated by aggregating short-term and long-
term rates using a 24-month moving average of new business volumes.
Latest observation: September 2023.
-40
Jan-22
Jun-22
Nov-22
Apr-23
Sep-23
Sources: ECB (BSI).
Notes: Loans to households and
firms are adjusted for sales and securitisation. Loans to firms are
also adjusted for cash pooling.
Latest observation: September
2023.
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Limited pass-
through to deposit rates and moderate decline in house prices so far
Rubric
Household deposit rate pass-through
and savings ratio
(lhs: percentage per annum: rhs:
percentage share of nominal income)
Savings ratio
Pre-
pandemic average
ECB policy rate Time deposits Overnight
deposits
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
5
4
3
2
1
0
-1 Jan-22 Aug-22 Mar-23 Oct-23
12
20Q1
21Q1
22Q1
23Q1
Sources:
Eurostat, ECB (MIR, FM) and ECB calculations.
Notes: Time
deposits are those of maturity of up to 2 years. Pre-pandemic average
of savings ratio is calculated over the period 1999 Q1-2019 Q4.
Last observations: October 2023 for the ECB policy rate,
September 2023 for deposit rates, 2023 Q2 for savings ratio.
House prices
(Monthly RRE price indices; December
2019 = 100)
EA DE ES FR
IT NL PT
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
Sources: Europace, Eurostat,
Immobiliare. it, Indomio. es, Meilleursagents. com, Statistics
Netherlands.
Notes: RRE stands for Residential Real Estate.
Last EA observation from Eurostat is for Q2 2023, so several countries
with more timely data available are added. For IT and ES an average
listing price index is reported. For all other countries the index
reported is a hedonic price index based on transaction prices. Latest
observation: September 2023 for DE and NL, August 2023 for ES, FR , IT
and PT, Q2 2023 for EA.
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11
Greater share of services in value added dampens
monetary policy transmission
Rubric
Sectoral shares in
euro area
gross value added
(percentages)
55
50
45
Market services
Capital-
intensive (rhs)
35
30
25
40
1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 2016 2019 2022
20
Survey: Impact of changes in financing
conditions on
firms’ activity
(percentage of firms)
Negative impact
No impact Positive impact Past 12 months
More impact Similar
impact Less impact Next 12 months
All
IndustryServices
All
Industry Services
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
Sources: Eurostat and ECB
calculations.
Notes: The market services sector includes,
among others, wholesale and retail trade, transportation,
accommodation and food services, information and communication, and
financial and real estate services. The capital-intensive sector
includes, among others, mining, manufacturing, energy and water
supply, and construction.
Sources: ECB Corporate Telephone
Survey.
Notes: The chart shows the answers to the question
“How do financing conditions (cost and availability of funding) since
mid-2022 affect business activity over past 12 months and in the next
12 months?”.
Latest observations: October 2023.
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12
Energy shock threatens to leave
permanent scars in the euro area Rubric
Industrial production:
manufacturing sector
(index: December 2019 = 100)
Total
High energy-intensive
Low energy-
intensive
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Sources: Eurostat, Trade Data
Monitor and ECB staff calculations.
Notes: Data are
seasonally-adjusted. Industrial production indices for individual
sectors are aggregated with value-added weights. Low (high) energy-
intensity sectors are defined as those with an energy intensity lower
(higher) than that of the median sector. For more details, see
Chiacchio, De Santis, Gunnella and Lebastard (2023).
Latest
observation: September 2023.
Real business investment
(index: 2019 Q4 = 100)
Real investment
Pre-
pandemic trend
120
115
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Source: ECB calculation based on Eurostat data.
Notes: Pre-pandemic trend estimated on the basis of quarterly
data between 2013 Q1 and 2019 Q4. Real intangible investment in
Ireland.
Latest observation: 2023 Q2.
the statistical
volatility of
investment adjusted for
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Euro area economy could be hit by new supply-
side shocks in future
Rubric
Momentum of HICP and main
components (annualised 3m-on-3m percentage changes, percentage points
contributions)
Energy
Food NEIG Services HICP
10
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
Jan-23
Apr-23
Jul-23
Oct-23
Sources: Eurostat, ECB calculations.
Latest observation: October 2023.
Global food price
effects of a one-degree
temperature rise during El Niño
(percent)
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
5
4
3
2
1
6 7 Months Sources: Haver, NOAA, Bloomberg and ECB
calculations.
Notes: Price reaction shows impact of a 1°C
increase in temperature during El Niño controlling for fertiliser and
oil prices and global industrial activity with 68% confidence
intervals.
Latest observation: May 2023 (monthly sample
starting in January 1960).
10 11 12
8
9
14
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Longer-term inflation
expectations continue to signal some upside risks Rubric
SPF:
Cross-sectional distribution of longer-term inflation point forecasts
(percent)
2003-2020
2021Q1-2023Q3
2023Q4
CES: Cross-sectional distribution of inflation
point forecasts (1 to 3 years)
(percent)
Inflation
expectations one year ahead, median
Inflation expectations
three years ahead, median
50
40
30
20
10
0
.
2 1 ≤
3
.
1
4
.
1
5
.
1
6
.
1
7
.
1
8
.
1
9
.
1
0
.
2
1
.
2
2
.
2
3
.
2
4
.
2
.
5 2 ≥
Sources: ECB SPF Latest observation: 2023Q4.
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - ≤
0 1
1 1 ≥
Sources: ECB CES and ECB calculations Latest observation:
September 2023.
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Portugal: Variable mortgage rates accelerate monetary policy
transmission Rubric
Share of stock of loans to households
repricing within one year (June 2022)
(percentages)
Lending rates on outstanding mortgages
(percentages
per annum)
Euro area
Portugal
Euro area
Portugal
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Sources: ECB (BSI) and ECB calculations.
Notes: Short-term debt includes short-term loans, long-term
loans expiring within a year and long-term loans with residual time
to next interest rate fixation lower than a year.
Long-term
debt includes long-term loans not considered as short-term debt.
Latest observation: June 2022.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0 Jan-19
Mar-20
May-21
Jul-22
Sep-23
Sources: ECB (MIR) and ECB calculations.
Notes: The
shaded area represents the country range.
Last observation:
September 2023.
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Portugal: Real consumption growth similar to EA average
despite stronger transmission Rubric
Interest payables as
share of gross disposable income
(percentages)
Euro
Area
Portugal
Real consumption
(y-o-y growth
rate)
Euro Area
Portugal
4
3
2
1
0
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
4
2
0
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
-30
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Source: Eurostat and ECB calculations.
Notes: The blue
area shows interest payables as a share of gross disposable income as
a range across euro area countries (excluding the Netherlands).
Latest observation is 2023 Q2 for EA and the range and 2022
for Portugal, as only annual data is available for Portugal.
Sources: Eurostat and ECB calculations.
Notes: The
blue area shows the y-o-y growth rate range across all euro area
countries.
Latest observation: 2023 Q2.
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Portugal: Lower deposit rate
pass-through with households shifting to savings certificates
Rubric
ECB policy rate and household deposit
rate pass-through (percentages per annum)
ECB relevant
policy rate Time deposits - Euro area Overnight deposits - Euro area
Time deposits - Portugal Overnight deposits - Portugal
5
4
3
2
1
0
Household
deposit volumes
(SA monthly flows in EUR bn)
Dep.
redeemable at notice Overnight deposits
Portugal
Certificados de aforro Time deposits M3 deposits
Euro
area
80
60
40
20
0
-20
-40
-60
4
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-1
Jan-22
Aug-22
Mar-23
Oct-23
Sources: ECB
(MIR, FM) and ECB calculations.
Notes: Time deposits are those
of maturity of up to 2 years. The shaded area represents the country
range for time deposits.
Latest observation: October 2023 for
the policy rate, September 2023 for deposit rates.
-80
Mar-22
Dec-22
Sep-23
-4 Mar-22
Dec-22
Sep-23
Sources: ECB (BSI), Banco de
Portugal and ECB calculations.
Notes: Time deposits are those
of maturity of up to 2 years. Deposits redeemable at notice are those
of maturity of up to 3 months. The seasonal adjustment of the data for
Portugal is not official. “Certificados de aforro“ are "deposit-like"
non-tradable debt instruments issued by the Portuguese government and
are not included in M3 deposits.
Latest observation: September
2023.
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Portugal:
Sovereign spreads low and resilient as fiscal outlook is favourable
Rubric
10-year sovereign to OIS spread
(percentages
per annum)
IT
ES
GR
PT
Government debt
(% of GDP)
Portugal
Euro area
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5 2008
2011 2014 2017 2020 2023
2021 2022 2023
Sources:
Bloomberg, Refinitiv and ECB calculations.
Latest observation:
17 November 2023.
4. 0
3. 5
3. 0
2. 5
2. 0
1. 5
1. 0
0. 5
0. 0
-0. 5
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
2028
2032
Sources: European Commission, Spring 2023.
Note: European Commission’s debt outlook based on the Spring
2023 Economic Forecast and a no-fiscal-policy change assumption
beyond the two-year forecast horizon.
Latest observation:
2022.
19
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Thank you very
much for your attention!
20
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