Zero interest rates are acceptable in Japan, not in the euro zone
One often wonders how long the ECB will be able to keep interest rates zero or negative. To be sure, interest rates in Japan have been zero for 20 years. But it is important to note that zero interest rates are far more acceptable in Japan than in the euro zone. In Japan, apart from periods of sharp yen depreciation or VAT hikes , both inflation and nominal per capita wage growth are zero. Nominal potential growth fluctuates around 0% per year: having a zero return on savings is not very detrimental . The situation is different in the euro zone, where inflation is currently higher than 1%, nominal per capita wage growth is 2.1% and nominal potential growth is 2.7% per year: in today’s climate in the euro zone, zero interest rates are a major anomaly.