Europe's central bankers fear more turbulence in testy US relations

Europe's central bankers expressed concern at an annual gathering with their US counterparts over potential further turbulence in the strained relationship between the two nations. While Federal Reserve policymakers assured their European counterparts that they would honor all commitments, they could not provide guarantees against sudden policy shifts by President Donald Trump.

Recent US Treasury interventions, such as interventions to prop up the Japanese yen and lower longer-term US borrowing costs, were particularly troubling as they suggested more intervention and a departure from established norms. European officials were especially annoyed that the US did not provide a customary heads-up about euro sales as part of the yen transaction, feeling that the US was acting unilaterally.

Some officials were more forgiving, suggesting the transaction may have been an oversight. European central bankers also expressed concern over Treasury plans to increase buybacks of longer-dated bonds, indicating the administration's willingness to take unusual measures to cap borrowing costs. While the Federal Reserve operates independently from the administration, there are concerns that political meddling could eventually involve dollar liquidity backstops provided by the Fed to global central banks, a cornerstone of global financial stability.

However, these backstops remain unchanged, and the US official emphasized that the increased long-end bond buybacks were aimed at providing greater liquidity in longer-dated sectors, not imposing a cap on interest rates.