Commentary Bank failures, an artificial intelligence-led bull market, persistent inflation, eurozone recession, France engulfed in riots, and perhaps the biggest U.S. presidential corruption scandal ever. Looking back on the first half of 2023, it is hard to believe the extraordinary events and outright surprises of recent months. Some of the possibilities I forecast in January…

LONDON—The European Central Bank raised interest rates for the eighth successive time, as expected, on Thursday and signalled further policy tightening, as it battles high inflation. The central bank for the 20 countries that share the euro also said it expected inflation to stay above its 2 percent target through 2025 and hinted once again…

VILNIUS/PRAGUE—The European Central Bank is likely to raise interest rates again in May after an already signaled hike in March, two policymakers said on Friday, with one arguing that the peak or “terminal” rate is at least starting to appear on the horizon. The ECB raised rates by a half a percentage point to 2.5…

FRANKFURT—The European Central Bank raised interest rates for the fourth time in a row on Thursday, although by less than at its last two meetings, pledged further hikes and laid out plans to drain cash from the financial system as part of its fight against runaway inflation. The ECB has been raising rates at an…

FRANKFURT—Proposed European Union rules aimed at tempering natural gas price spikes may actually jeopardize financial stability and need to be redesigned, the European Central Bank said on Thursday in a formal opinion. The EU proposed a “market correction mechanism” last month aimed at tempering natural gas prices and market volatility after a spike in energy…

FRANKFURT—Eurozone consumer expectations for inflation in the year ahead rose in October but predictions for three years out held steady at a rate still well above the European Central Bank’s 2 percent target, the ECB said in a monthly survey on Wednesday. Inflation soared this year on sky high energy and food prices, and the…

Bitcoin is being artificially propped up and should not be legitimized by regulators or financial companies as it is more akin to gambling, the European Central Bank (ECB) said on Wednesday. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been variously presented as an alternative form of money and a shield from the inflationary policies pursued by major…

Annual inflation in the eurozone is expected to fall in November, according to a flash estimate by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Twelve-month inflation for November 2022 is projected to be at 10 percent, down from the 10.6 percent in October, according to an agency news release on Nov. 22. This is the…

FRANKFURT—The European Central Bank must keep raising interest rates to fight off inflation, even if the probability of a eurozone recession has increased, ECB President Christine Lagarde said in an interview published on Tuesday. “Our mandate is price stability and we have to deliver on that using all the tools we have available,” Lagarde told…

FRANKFURT—The European Central Bank raised interest rates again on Thursday and signaled it was keen to start shrinking its bloated balance sheet, taking another big step in tightening policy to fight off a historic surge in inflation. Worried that rapid price growth is becoming entrenched, the ECB is raising borrowing costs at the fastest pace…