Eurozone Inflation Poised To Ease As Analysts Predict End Of ECB Cutting Cycle

- July headline rate forecast at 1.9% y/y (prev 2.0%)

- Core rate projected at 2.2% y/y (prev 2.3%)

- Germany surprises to downside

- Data due Friday at 09:00 GMT / 11:00 CEST

By Eric Culp, European Editor

LiveSquawk News

@eculp.bsky.social

@EricCulpLS

 

 

31 July 2025 | 12:20 GMT

 

The rate of headline consumer price growth in the euro area is forecast to slip below the level preferred by the European Central Bank, which has likely ended its cycle of interest rate cuts, according to a number of analysts.

 

An economists’ poll predicted that the annual Eurozone headline inflation rate eased to 1.9% this month from 2.0% in June. That would put it below the ECB’s target of 2% over the medium term.

 

The less-volatile core rate is set to fall a tenth to 2.2% y/y, observers said.

We are expecting headline inflation to soften a bit in July to 1.92% (in line with market pricing) as base effects in the non-oil component should offset price pressures coming from rising fuel prices, pulling energy inflation lower,” Deutsche Bank wrote. “After July, headline HICP should rise back towards 2% for the next few months. We project core HICP will remain unchanged in July at 2.3%y/y. We also see services inflation holding steady at 3.2% as an increase in tourism services prices would counteract downward pressures from other items in the basket.”

 

The ECB has been cutting its key interest rates for more than a year but decided to leave rates unchanged last week after seven straight reductions. With inflation expected to remain near the target, and a tentative EU-US trade agreement concluded over the weekend, analysts at Deutsche Bank, Nomura, and Commerzbank have joined those suggesting that the ECB is done lowering rates. Better-than-expected Eurozone growth last quarter is also supporting such arguments. 

  

Major economies send mixed signals  

 

Preliminary consumer price data from the four largest Eurozone economies offered no clear message on the overall reading for the currency area. On Thursday, Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, said its EU annual harmonised inflation fell to 1.8% from 2.0% in June, a larger decline than the forecast of 1.9%.

 

Earlier in the day, Italy announced a slowdown in consumer price growth to 1.7%, which followed a rise of 1.8% in June and outpaced the forecast of 1.6%. 

 

France, the second-largest economy, was the first to announce inflation data Thursday, reporting an increase of 0.9%, which was unchanged from June’s reading and above the estimate of 0.8%.

 

Spain, the four-largest economy, said Wednesday that its annual headline rate matched the market forecast of 2.7%, well above the 2.3% reported in June.

 

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