ECB’s Knot sees rate cuts through the first half of 2025

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to continue to cut interest rates at least through the first half of 2025, to a level between 2% and 3%, Dutch ECB governing council member Klaas Knot said on Tuesday.

“I would expect us to continue to gradually reduce interest rates in the coming time, also in the first half of 2025,” Knot said in an interview with Dutch TV programme Nieuwsuur.

“I don’t expect rates to return to the extremely low levels we saw before the pandemic. They will likely end up on a somewhat more natural level. I don’t know where exactly, but somewhere starting with a 2,” he added.

The ECB lowered its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 3.50% earlier this month, following up on a similar cut in June.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer)