EU Vaccine Hit, BOE Decision, Yellen Meets Regulators: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Thursday, Europe. Here's the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help you start the day:

• Mario Draghi managed to keep the euro together during the sovereign-debt crisis, and his next job -- he's set to become Italy's prime minister -- might require a similar feat. Every time Italy is about to go off the rails, there's always been the same solution: Call in the technocrat
• Spain's government is considering debt relief for companies as extended pandemic restrictions and a slow European vaccine rollout tip the economy into another downturn
• The Bank of England, due to release its latest rates decision Thursday, is moving into a supporting role behind the Treasury in propping up the British economy
• The Czech Republic is set to keep borrowing costs unchanged as investors await the countdown to interest-rate hikes
• The European Union is facing a cost of tens of billions of euros for the slow and chaotic rollout of coronavirus vaccinations
• Federal Reserve officials played down the economic impact of recent stock-market volatility, a sign the U.S. central bank is not close to scaling back bond purchases
• U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will meet with financial regulators, her first public effort to address the tumult involving GameStop Corp. shares
• Switzerland's experienceshows that being wealthy, efficient and punctual, and having a big pharmaceuticals industry, is no guarantee of success when it comes to the coronavirus vaccination drive
• Here's how a former burger flipper became a world expert on minimum-wage policy
• China is forecast to report strong GDP growth in the first quarter, part of what will be months of wild data due to base effects from coronavirus lockdowns a year ago. Meanwhile, food prices in China are surging ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations
• South Korea's prime minister told Bloomberg News universal basic income was “impossible” to implement. Meanwhile, the country will boost available housing with a positive supply “shock” as President Moon Jae-in struggles to tame soaring home prices
• Millions of defaults threaten microfinance's future in India, turning the industry's vast reach into a liability

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