To be truthful, she may use more sensible choice of phrases right here if she needs to sound extra assuring. However in all probability, it seems like she needs to keep up optionality in her resolution. How typical of a central banker lately, eh?
The important thing phrase in her reply that’s baseline. As everyone knows, there’s baseline situations to absolutely anything. Nonetheless, it doesn’t suggest that the precise final result follows stated baseline. And in her personal semantics, Lagarde will certainly argue it that method if and when the time comes for her to depart the central financial institution sooner than her time period dictates.
As a reminder, it’s speculated that Lagarde will depart from the ECB probably earlier than April subsequent yr. That’s to say earlier than the French presidential elections happen. As such, it’ll permit for Macron and different key EU members to appoint their most well-liked candidate of selection in changing Lagarde as ECB president.

