1441 GMT - The Eurpopean Central Bank is likely to hike rates at least once by the end of this year, while the pace and timing of these hikes will hinge on the duration of the conflict in the Middle East, Aberdeen Investments' Felix Feather says in a note. The ECB's emphasis on upside risks to the inflation outlook and a 0.7 percentage-point upward revision to 2026 base-case inflation forecasts "hint at the bank's concern over renewed inflationary pressure, and its willingness to respond with hikes," the economist says. The focus at Thursday's ECB decision, where it kept rates on hold as expected, was always going to be more about its signal for how it might react in future, he says. (emese.bartha@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 19, 2026 10:41 ET (14:41 GMT)
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