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Traders See ECB's Window to Hike Narrowing Before It Even Starts
Investor fears are rife that the European Central Bank is running out of runway to raise interest rates before it’s even begun. Combating the quickest inflation since the euro’s introduction, officials plan to kick off a “sustained” cycle of hikes on Thursday with a quarter-point increase — the first since 2011 as years of stimulus finally draw to a close. But as traders digest a possible shutoff in Russian energy supplies to Europe, a fresh political storm in Italy and an economy that’s teetering on the edge of recession, expectations for how far the ECB can push are already dwindling. Bearish bets on ... (full story)