ECB to answer German criticism in meeting

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank (ECB), increasingly under fire in Germany over its ultra-loose monetary policies, will likely go out of its way to defend its independence at next week’s governing council meeting, analysts said.

ECB President Mario Draghi “will respond to German politicians’ recent criticism . . . by reiterating the bank’s independence and stressing that more support is still possible,” said Capital Economics economist Jennifer McKeown.