More ECB officials pile into stimulus debate as economy wilts

With the euro-area economy battered by trade tensions and Brexit uncertainty, and the manufacturing sector already in a recession that risks spreading to services, ECB officials are widely expected to push their deposit rate further below zero on Sept. 12.

VIENNA: Two more European Central Bank policy makers weighed into the debate over whether the economy needs another strong blast of monetary stimulus, adding to signs that President Mario Draghi has some persuading to do if he’s to win a consensus for action.

After a week in which Governing Council members from Germany and the Netherlands said they see no need for a package that includes the resumption of bond purchases, Austria’s incoming governor, Robert Holzmann, described himself on Saturday as a monetary hawk. He said he’ll "probably express more criticism toward proposals for further monetary deepening.”