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Our monetary policy statement at a glance - February 2023

What did we decide?

We raised interest rates again, by 0.5 percentage points

We are in the process of raising rates significantly, and at a steady pace. We are doing this to bring inflation down.

We are adjusting our purchase programmes

We will start to reduce the large amounts of bonds we bought under our asset purchase programme over the last few years. We will also make our holdings of corporate bonds greener by focusing more on firms with a better climate performance.

What is going on in the economy?

Inflation has come down slightly but remains too high

Energy prices have dropped sharply in recent weeks, but food prices are still rising strongly. The earlier surge in energy costs is still spreading throughout the economy. This makes many goods and services more expensive.

The economy is weak right now, but it should soon pick up

The war, high inflation and a weaker world economy are still holding back our economy. But with wages going up and prices no longer rising as much, people will likely spend more and the economy should recover later this year.

Many people have jobs and new jobs are still being created

Unemployment remains the lowest it has been in the history of the euro. Workers are demanding larger pay increases to make up for high inflation.

Loans from banks are becoming more expensive

As interest rates rise, fewer people are taking out mortgages. Businesses are also requesting fewer loans for their investments.

SEE ALSO

Look at the details

MONETARY POLICY DECISIONS

Here is what the Governing Council decided about the ECB’s interest rates and instruments at its latest meeting.

Press release

MONETARY POLICY STATEMENT

Read our explanation of the reasons behind the latest monetary policy decisions.

Monetary policy statement
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What is monetary policy?