ECB in talks with dealers on buying inflation-linked bonds

The European Central Bank (ECB) will speak with a group of dealers today about the prospect of buying eurozone government inflation-linked bonds as part of its securities markets programme (SMP), according to dealers close to the matter.

An initial call between the ECB and 17 dealers, organised by the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (Afme), took place last Friday, but was postponed to this afternoon following a technical glitch that meant the conversation was cut short.

"The essence