The ECB had been reluctant to do so for years, but in 2014 it changed course. As policymakers faced the prospect of minimal growth and falling prices, which can further weigh on an economy, it cut its main interest rate in September to 0.05 percent. The move hit the euro by reducing the potential returns on investments in the eurozone.
As that proved insufficient to turn the eurozone around, the ECB has started buying government bonds in the markets with newly-created money .... http://www.washingtonpost.com
