{
  "id": 18744360,
  "title": "ECB’s Lagarde says inflation to stay high, sees little reason to alter rate course",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/ecbs-lagarde-says-inflation-to-stay-high-sees-little-reason-to-alter",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-07T16:13:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Investing.com",
    "slug": "investing-com",
    "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/economy-news/ecbs-lagarde-says-inflation-to-stay-high-sees-little-reason-to-alter-rate-course-5009950"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Euro zone inflation is projected to remain stubbornly high, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned, signaling that policymakers would likely maintain interest rates at their current level in December. Speaking in a Yomiuri Shimbun interview, Lagarde said inflation numbers will stay elevated through the quarters ahead, increasing the risk to the central bank's medium-term goal. The comments came after the ECB decided in mid-October to keep its key rate at 2.50% amid surging global oil and gas prices. While headline inflation remains well above the 2% target, core inflation stayed flat in October at 2.5%, with policymakers set to closely examine wage trends before deciding on another rate hike. Lagarde stressed that so far, wage pressures have not triggered a significant upward spiral. The ECB chief said the board will monitor long-term wage agreements and corporate expectations, but has not yet seen evidence of such shifts. The main concern for the central bankers is whether additional tightening could damage euro area growth. Lagarde said a 25-basis-point hike in December would push borrowing costs to the upper limit of the neutral zone, where rates start to choke economic activity. However, she reiterated the bias is still toward a tighter policy stance. Lagarde also noted that she will hand over leadership after the December meeting, with Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot and former Bank of Spain Governor Pablo Hernández de Cos seen as top contenders to succeed her.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Euro zone inflation to remain high through quarters",
    "ECB maintains 2.50% key rate amid oil prices",
    "Lagarde to step down after December meeting"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}