'Wise owl' Lagarde may inject fresh tranche of cash into eurozone

New ECB boss says plan to put a20bn a month into financial system may not push growth

New European Central Bank (ECB) boss Christine Lagarde has kept open the possibility of a fresh stimulus package for the eurozone after admitting that a plan to inject a20bn a month into the financial system was unlikely to push growth and inflation back to target.

Speaking after her first policy meeting as ECB president, Lagarde said the central bank would keep interest rates at historic lows and maintain the plan hatched by her predecessor Mario Draghi to re-start quantitive easing to cut the cost of borrowing and boost growth.

2019: 1.2%, unchanged

2020: 1.1%, up from 1.0%

2021: 1.4%, down from 1.5%

2022: 1.6% - a new forecast

2019: 1.2%, up from 1.1%

2020: 1.1%, down from 1.2%

2021: 1.4% - unchanged

2022: 1.4% - a new forecast