European Central Bank President Lagarde: Regardless of the market pricing of interest rate hikes, European Central Bank President Lagarde said that the European Central Bank will adjust its policies according to the data and will decide the policies of each meeting one by one. The neutral interest rate cannot be accurately determined without considering the market pricing of interest rate hikes.The European Central Bank predicts that inflation will decline in 2025, and the European Central Bank currently predicts that inflation will cool down slightly faster than predicted in September. The bank's latest forecast shows that the average inflation rate in 2024 and 2025 is 2.4% and 2.1% respectively, while the previous forecast is 2.5% and 2.2% respectively. After cutting interest rates by 25 basis points, the European Central Bank said in a statement: "The anti-inflation process is on the right track." The bank said: "Domestic inflation has declined slightly, but it is still at a high level, mainly because wages and prices in some industries are still adapting to the past inflation surge, but there is a great delay." The European Central Bank maintains its inflation forecast of 1.9% in 2026, and predicts that the average inflation rate in 2027 will be 2.1%.Central Economic Work Conference: Effectively loosen the burden on the grass-roots units, so that cadres who want to be officers and know how to be officers can be officers and get things done. The Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 11 to 12. The meeting stressed that it is necessary to strengthen the party's leadership over economic work, persist in doing things first, enhance confidence, face difficulties, and work hard to ensure that the decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee are implemented. It is necessary to strengthen positive incentives and stimulate the endogenous motivation of entrepreneurs. Effectively loosen the burden on the grassroots, so that cadres who want to be officers and officers can be officers and do things. Unswervingly punish corruption and maintain a fair and just market environment and a clean and honest business environment. Persist in seeking truth from facts and being pragmatic, and resolutely oppose formalism and bureaucracy that are keen on showing up to the top, not being responsible for the bottom, and not considering actual results. (Xinhua News Agency)
Government statement: British Prime Minister Stamer will attend the informal meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on February 3rd.European Central Bank President Lagarde: Domestic inflation remains high. Inflation will fluctuate around the current level in the short term. Domestic inflation reflects the influence of wage pressure and service industry.Eurozone government bond yields barely changed, and eurozone government bond yields barely changed, after the European Central Bank cut interest rates by 25 basis points, as widely expected. Michael Brown of Pepperstone said in a report: "The interest rate cut was accompanied by a policy statement, which' copied and pasted' the policy guidance issued after the October meeting." The ECB reiterated that it would "follow the method of data dependence and successive meetings to determine the appropriate monetary policy stance." According to Tradeweb's data, after the interest rate was determined, the yield of two-year German government bonds was 1.941%, slightly lower than the previous 1.951%, while the yield of 10-year German government bonds was 2.130%, which was almost unchanged that day.
Analysis: The initial application data in the United States unexpectedly rose, and the number of initial jobless claims in the United States unexpectedly rose last week. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits continued to increase at the end of November compared with the beginning of the year, due to the cooling of labor demand. The US Department of Labor announced on Thursday that as of the week of December 7, the number of initial jobless claims increased by 17,000 to 242,000 after seasonal adjustment. Economists had expected that the number of initial jobless claims last week was only 220,000. The jump in initial jobless claims last week may reflect the fluctuation after the Thanksgiving holiday, but it may not mark a sudden change in the job market. The number of initial jobless claims may still fluctuate in the next few weeks, which may make it difficult to understand the job market clearly.Germany's current account surplus in October was 12.497 billion euros.Market news: the agency said that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits in the United States jumped to the highest level in two months, but it was still at a low level.