Lagarde sees rapid economic recovery in the second half of the year

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said today at an online event at the Aspen Security Forum that the eurozone economy is heading for rapid growth in the second half of the year with the increasing deployment of Coronavirus vaccines and the return of life to normal. “Monthly trading volumes vary as we continue to buy flexibly according to market conditions,” Lagarde said, adding that ECB tools can be reset as the bank moves from fighting crises to supporting the post-pandemic economy.

Lagarde added that while the third wave of the pandemic poses negative risks to growth in the near term, vaccines provide light at the end of the tunnel, so there is no reason to abandon the European Central Bank's forecast of 4% growth over the year.