Ireland to reduce bond-buying pace to stay in QE scheme - source

DUBLIN, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 9 (Reuters) - Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) 's central bank will reduce the pace of bond-buying under the bloc's quantitative easing stimulus programme and is confident it can remain in the scheme until its scheduled end in December 2017, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The source said the central bank would reduce the monthly pace of bond-buying to around 50 percent of current levels.

Some bank analysts forecast that limits may be reached on the amount of eligible Irish debt that can be purchased by March, meaning the country would not benefit from the nine-month extension of the programme announced Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the central bank, said: "The Central Bank will manage the implementation of the purchase programmes carefully, so that the impact of the programme parameters or any changes in these parameters, would be as smooth as possible." (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by John Geddie)