Interest rates, forecasts, balance sheet reduction – these are the points that matter at the central bank meeting

Frankfurt The monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB) has changed more dramatically this year than it has in a long time. A year ago, ECB President Christine Lagarde described a rate hike in 2022 as “very unlikely”, but the announcement didn’t last long.

The central bank has already raised interest rates three times this year, most recently twice by 0.75 percentage points each. In all likelihood, the ECB will continue to raise interest rates on Thursday. The only question is whether it will opt for another jumbo rate hike or this time it will raise rates by half a percentage point.

The US Federal Reserve decided on Wednesday for a slightly smaller hike of half a percentage point.