FRANKFURT, Feb 9 - European Central Bank Chief Economist Otmar Issing was quoted on Monday as saying the strong euro was a concern, but that he expected the euro zone economy to continue its uptrend. "The strong appreciation of the euro is a matter of concern, but overall the euro-area economy should continue its upward trend," Issing told Central Banking magazine in an interview.
The magazine said the interview was conducted in December. Issing also said that he expected the ECB would manage to keep inflation in line with its target of below, but close to two percent. "The outlook for price developments is positive -- to which the strong euro will contribute. We expect inflation to fall to levels consistent with our definition of price stability," Issing said.//