ECB zal waarschijnlijk rente verhogen om stijgende inflatie binnen de perken te houden (en)
The European Central Bank is on Thursday (7 April) likely to increase its interest rate for the first time since mid-2008, aiming to keep a lid on rising inflation in the eurozone.
Analysts expect a moderate hike from the current 1.0 percent to 1.25 percent after inflation jumped to 2.6 percent in March in the countries that employ the single currency, up from 2.4 percent the previous month.
The increase in price pressure was higher than expected, markedly higher than the central bank's target of under 2.0 percent and came as Germany, the EU's economic powerhouse, saw a drop in unemployment.
Hikes in oil, food and other commodity prices lie behind the rise in inflation a phenomenon that does not appear to be turning around any time soon as political uncertainly in oil-producing countries remains.
The central bank is worried this will spill over into wage increases, undermining a moderate recovery at the heart of the eurozone.
However, the interest rate increase could also negatively impact eurozone members, particularly on the periphery, whose economies are still struggling.
Should the ECB make the move later this week, it will be the first central bank to do so since rates around the world were slashed in the wake of the global economic crisis, aiming to spur investment.