Interest rate

Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency slowed to the lowest level in a year as energy prices dropped, but food costs were still on the rise, keeping pressure on the European Central Bank to hike interest rates further.

The Federal Reserve extended its year-long fight against high inflation on March 22 by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point despite concerns that higher borrowing rates could worsen the turmoil that has gripped the banking system.

The European Central Bank today raised the key interest rate by 50 basis points to 3.5%, the highest level since 2008, and did not comment on what its future steps might be to control inflation.

The European Central Bank raised interest rates by 50 basis points on Thursday as promised, ignoring financial market chaos and calls by investors to dial back policy tightening at least until sentiment stabilizes.

"Core inflation in the Eurozone will remain high for the foreseeable future, so a European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate hike of up to 50 basis points later this month looks increasingly certain", ECB President Christine Lagarde told the Spanish media group Vocento.

The European Central Bank is set to raise interest rates again on Thursday and pencil in more hikes for the next few months, with the only open question being how big these will be.

Annual inflation in the Eurozone fell to 8.5% in January, according to Eurostat's preliminary data. This is the third month in a row that inflation has slowed.

The data comes ahead of the European Central Bank's first key meeting of the year. Later in the day, the Federal Reserve in the United States is expected to announce another interest rate hike.

BNB increased the main interest rate in February to 1.82. In January it was 1.42%.

The central bank started increasing the main interest rate since October last year, when it went from 0 percent to 0.49 percent.

An unpredictable year has begun for the real estate market, as countervailing forces from the supply and demand side collide.

What is the Bank of Greece's biggest concern? That reaching investment grade has drifted further away and that in an international environment full of uncertainties, there is only one certainty: That the time of abundant, cheap money has given way to an era of high interest rates and limited liquidity.