ECB's Villeroy: Trump's economic agenda risks global economy, return of inflation

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 11/13/24 03:18 AM EST

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's economic agenda risks returning inflation to the United States and hurting economic growth worldwide, Bank of France head and European Central Bank (ECB) member Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Wednesday.

"The programme risks bringing back inflation to the United States," Villeroy told France Inter radio. "It risks lowering growth a little bit, all over the world. It remains to be seen if the reduction will be felt more in the United States, China or in Europe."

Trump has floated the idea of a tariff of 10% or more on all goods imported into the United States, which he says would eliminate its trade deficit.

But Villeroy predicted U.S. consumers would bear the brunt of many of the tariffs.

"Protectionism almost always means reduced purchasing power for consumers," Villeroy said.

(Reporting by Makini Brice and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Peter Graff)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

fir_news_article