Overview
- The ECB lowered its deposit rate by 0.25 percentage point to 2.25% on April 17, 2025, marking its seventh cut in less than a year.
- The decision was driven by worsening eurozone growth prospects due to trade tensions stemming from U.S. tariffs imposed earlier this month.
- ECB President Christine Lagarde acknowledged that the trade war disrupted earlier plans to pause rate cuts, citing exceptional economic uncertainty.
- Disinflation remains on track toward the ECB's 2% medium-term target, with inflation slowing to 2.2% in March across the eurozone.
- The U.S. Federal Reserve has resisted political pressure from President Trump to cut rates, diverging sharply from the ECB's easing stance.