Euro Slips Further Amid Economic, Political Instability

Published January 5, 2015 at 1:35 PM EST

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A banner welcoming Lithuania into the Eurozone adorns the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on January 5, 2015. Four days after Lithuania became the 19th state to adopt the euro, the currency is at a 9-year low. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

The euro keeps tumbling. The currency is now at a 9-year low against the dollar as the European Central Bank hints that stimulus measures will be coming soon to prop up the region’s stagnant economy.

Mario Draghi, the central bank’s president, said he may soon inject cash into the economy through the purchase of government bonds. It’s a process known as quantitative easing — a stimulus measure the Federal Reserve used to support the U.S. economy until 2014. Political instability in Greece also led to the euro’s slide.

Marilyn Geewax, senior business editor for NPR, joins Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins to discuss what this means for Europe and the rest of the world.

Guest

Marilyn Geewax, senior business editor for NPR. She tweets @geewaxnpr.