The European Central Bank may edge closer to cutting interest rates to a historic low as the debt crisis tightens its grip on the euro economy and threatens to hurt global growth. While ECB officials meeting in Frankfurt will leave the benchmark rate at 1 percent today, according to 32 of 44 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, 11 predict a quarter- point reduction and one forecasts a half-point cut. With European governments struggling to fix a crisis that’s engulfing Spain and could force Greece out of the euro, pressure is mounting on the ECB to lower rates and introduce more liquidity support for banks. The ... (full story)