The European Central Bank on Thursday is expected to confirm its intention to raise interest rates next month, as rate setters meet in Amsterdam for their first policy meeting outside of Frankfurt since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. While inflation for the 19-member euro area hit another record high in May, a rate hike would only come in July as the ECB first needs to formally end its net asset purchases, according to its forward guidance. The key question is how aggressive the shift will be over the coming months — some analysts have moved their estimates for a larger hike in September at the latest. “A ... (full story)