Central Banks
Lagarde Says ECB Needs Time to Weigh Inflation Uncertainties
- Lane says June price data not enough to fully assess services
- President’s speech kicks off ECB’s annual retreat in Sintra
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The European Central Bank doesn’t yet have sufficient evidence that inflation threats have passed, President Christine Lagarde and her top economist said — feeding expectations that officials will take a break from cutting interest rates this month.
With the euro-zone job market robust, the ECB has time to assess incoming information, Lagarde said Monday in Sintra, Portugal, where she opened the ECB’s annual central-banking forum. Speaking Tuesday to Bloomberg TV, Chief Economist Philip Lane said June’s inflation reading won’t be enough to fully evaluate closely watched services prices.