Central Banks

ECB Rate-Setters Preach Patience Without Ruling Out April Cut

Simkus says he’s ‘open-minded’ about April, needs to see data
Kazaks says officials are dependent on economic data, not date

European Central Bank Governing Council member Martins Kazaks urged patience in determining monetary policy, warning that the gravest error would be a premature easing that permitted a resurgence in inflation. “That would be by all mean worse than waiting just a bit,” the Latvian central bank governor said Friday in an interview with Bloomberg’s Maria Tadeo in Riga.Source: Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Mark Schroers and Alexander Weber

January 26, 2024 at 11:57 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

European Central Bank officials said they’re in no hurry to lower interest rates, but kept alive the possibility of a move in April that’s become the focus of markets.

Bets on a cut that month intensified Thursday after investors deemed pushback by President Christine Lagarde to be weak. A day later, several of her colleagues stressed patience and a dependence on data in determining next steps. But they shied away from the June timetable they’d looked like converging around as recently as last week.