The European Central Bank (ECB) has maintained its key interest rates, with the deposit facility rate remaining at 2%. However, the Frankfurt-based institution signaled that a rate hike is likely in June due to intensifying inflation risks driven by the conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted energy and commodity supplies. While core inflation has shown signs of slowing, headline inflation in the Eurozone has risen to 3%, prompting the ECB to adopt a data-dependent approach for future policy decisions.
ECB keeps interest rates unchanged but signals strong pressure to hike in June
Thursday, 30 April 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Inflation measures how much general prices rise over time, usually reported year‑on‑year to compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Portugal’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) estimated January inflation at 1.9% year‑on‑year, down 0.3 percentage points from December, which affects rents, wages and everyday purchasing power for residents.
