FRANKFURT – The European Central Bank could soon expand its anti-pandemic stimulus program to more than a trillion euros, giving it more firepower to keep the virus crisis from sliding into a new financial crisis for the 19 countries that use the euro.
Analysts say that the ECB's 25-member governing council could decide as soon as its meeting Thursday to boost the so-called pandemic emergency purchase program by 500 billion euros, bringing it to 1.25 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion).
Under the program, the central bank buys government and corporate bonds with newly printed money, a step that helps keep a lid on borrowing costs for businesses and governments.