- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
ECB to deliver fresh rate cut as inflation cools
The European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates again this week as inflation drifts back down towards its two-percent target, but policymakers will likely stay tight-lipped on future moves.
The ECB began raising rates sharply in mid-2022 to throttle surging consumer prices but has begun to ease the pressure as inflation rates have fallen.
The Frankfurt-based central bank, which sets monetary policy for the 20 countries that use the euro, made its first cut in June, reducing the key deposit rate to 3.75 percent from a record high of four percent.
After taking a breather at its July meeting, the ECB's governing council is expected to make another quarter-point cut on Thursday, providing further relief for households and businesses.
It will only be the ECB's second rate reduction since 2019.
"A cut is fully priced in by the market and there seems to be a broad consensus among (governing council) members," analysts at bank HSBC said in a note.
Policymakers' confidence in moving ahead with cuts has been bolstered by signs that inflation, which has been bumpy over the past year, is now on a more sustained downward trajectory.
Eurozone inflation fell to its lowest level in more than three years in August, according to official data.
Consumer price rises slowed to 2.2 percent compared to the same month last year, down from 2.6 percent in July, leaving the figure just a whisker off the ECB's target.
Inflation rates had peaked at 10.6 percent in October 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and post-pandemic supply chain woes sent food and energy costs soaring.
- Not waiting -
A lacklustre performance in some parts of the eurozone has also fuelled calls for more cuts to take pressure off the single currency area.
While signs in the first half of the year were positive, recent indicators have pointed to a deteriorating outlook.
The eurozone's largest economy, Germany, shrank unexpectedly in the second quarter, adding to indications that a hoped-for rebound will fail to materialise this year.
Meanwhile, wage growth, a key area of concern for the ECB, slowed markedly in the second quarter, easing fears that high labour costs could spark a resurgence in inflation.
Rate-setters will also be armed with updates to the central bank's own inflation and growth forecasts to help guide their decision.
The US Federal Reserve looks poised to start cutting rates at its meeting next week, following recent weak data and a bout of market turmoil.
This will boost confidence among ECB policymakers about forging ahead with their own cuts.
Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau, a member of the ECB's governing council, has been among those calling for a cut at this week's meeting.
"If we waited until we were actually at two percent to lower rates, we would be acting too late," said the central bank chief in an interview with French media last month.
- 'Data-dependent' -
With Thursday's reduction a near certainty, investors will be closely watching ECB president Christine Lagarde's post-meeting press conference for clues about the path ahead.
But analysts say the ECB is unlikely to let much slip about its next moves.
"We do not think that the ECB will provide clear guidance for the future, but remain data-dependent," HSBC said.
The central bank has in recent times insisted it will not foreshadow its future moves, and will rely solely on incoming data.
Policymakers have reason to be cautious, with signs that inflation in some areas remains stubborn.
Closely-watched core inflation, which strips out volatile energy and food prices, remained elevated at 2.8 percent in August, while services sector inflation accelerated.
Nevertheless, ING bank said it expected the ECB to push ahead with further cuts later in the year in response to the "weakening economic prospects of the eurozone".
D.Cunningha--AMWN