European Markets In For A Roller-Coaster Weekend

The eurozone is primed for a long weekend of volatility as the European Central Bank held its policy meeting earlier Thursday. Three days later, Greece will head to the polls to elect a party into power. Both events are highly charged, as investors wait on pins and needles to see how one of the world's largest economies will fare.

Related Link: European Central Bank Unveils €1 Trillion Quantitative Easing Program

ECB Easing Imminent

On Thursday, the ECB rolled out a bond-buying plan in order to help combat falling inflation and keep the economy afloat. The bank is seen announcing a €50 billion per month bond buying plan, which will continue for a minimum of one year. On Wednesday, the euro fell modestly lower and eurozone share markets finished the day on a high, suggesting that the ECB’s easing has already been priced in.

With the bank following through with its quantitative easing plans, it will likely be well received in most parts of the world. However, German policy makers said they plan to vote against the measure, saying that a massive bond buying program won’t be effective in the eurozone where bond markets are fragmented.

Grexit Worries

Just three days after the ECB meeting, Greek voters will head to the polls to decide between current Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his government or the leftist Syriza party. Syriza has been ahead in the polls and many see the party, whose aim is to abandon Greece’s unpopular bailout program early, having a real chance of winning.

Related Link: Is The Eurozone Readying For A Grexit?

German officials, who represent the largest group of Greece’s creditors, have said they are resistant to offering debt relief and that the nation should continue making necessary reforms. If the Syriza party comes in to power, this could create a dangerous stalemate that eventually leads to Greece’s exit from the currency union.