In a cautious tone, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said yesterday that “For September, the decision is open,” dropping no hint on whether the central bank would deliver another rate hike, or pause.
Nevertheless, de Guindos was clear about the new economic projections to be published at the September meeting. He noted, “forecasts for economic growth are worse than we had projected in June, while inflation projections are similar to what we had in June.”
De Guindos added that the ECB is “entering the final stretch” of its tightening cycle. He put emphasis on second-round effects and inflation expectations as the factors for any future monetary policy decisions.