MNI BRIEF: ECB Rates Unchanged, With No September Steer
MNI (LONDON) - The European Central Bank left its key interest rates unchanged on Thursday, in line with expectations, and the Governing Council gave no clear steer as to future policy, saying it was "not pre-committing to a particular rate path." (See MNI ECB WATCH: Rates On Hold, No Commitment To Sept Cut).
The deposit rate was held at 3.75%, the refi rate at 4.25% and the marginal lending rate at 4.5%. All three rates were cut by 25bps at the June meeting, the first ECB rate cut since 2019.
Policymakers will now head for the beaches with many ECB watchers expecting a 25bp rate cut at the September meeting as inflation looks like falling sustainably to target by end-2025 and some growth fears now emerging. (See MNI SOURCES: Growth Rises Up List Of ECB's Concerns).