Interest rate message from ECB President Lagarde

The European Central Bank will raise interest rates by 50 basis points in March, according to European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. Speaking to the Financial Times, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said she had every reason to believe that the ECB would raise interest rates by 50 basis points at its March meeting. Stating that the ECB would act based on data when making interest rate decisions, Lagarde said that interest rates could be increased after March if necessary. Lagarde stressed that the ECB Governing Council was ready to do whatever was necessary to return to the 2% inflation target. In her statement to the FT, Lagarde said that the eurozone had performed better than expected in economic terms, and that the main reasons for this were the winter season with above-average temperatures. On the other hand, energy-saving measures and solidarity among eurozone members were also doing an important job.