ECB ANNOUNCEMENT

An announcement by the European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council after their first meeting of the month which is devoted to monetary policy. The ECB Announcement comes about 45 minutes after the meeting in a press conference, and details their actions or lack of actions decided in the meeting.

Because the ECB does not publish the minutes of its meetings, the ECB Announcement is important to gather information regarding upcoming interest rate policy.

European market participants speculate on the possibilities of an interest rate change at these meetings. The ECB has a target rate for inflation, measured by the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), of 2%. Interest rates are changed to help maintain an inflation rate close to their target. As with interest rate speculation in other markets, if the ECB Announcement provides information different from the speculation, severe market impact is usually seen.

A general rule to keep in mind when interpreting central bank data such as that released in this announcement, is that higher interest rates are bearish for equity markets, while lower rates are bullish.