24/08/2017 (Agence Europe) – As of Friday 18 August, the European Central Bank had bought €1.689 billion of sovereign bonds or public entities as part of its quantities easing (QE). It had also bought more than €105 billion of private corporate bonds. It says that economic recovery and the rise in inflation (to 1.3% in July) are sufficiently robust in the eurozone and in the autumn the ECB will decide on gradual exiting from QE from the start of 2018 onwards (see EUROPE 11834). (MB)