Deutsche Bank on Tuesday became the latest brokerage to withdraw its forecast for further interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank, while betting the next policy move to be a hike at the end of 2026 following a tariff deal between the U.S. and EU.

Last week, Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas (OTC:BNPQY) scrapped their forecasts for rate cuts this year. HSBC reiterated that the central bank is done cutting rates.

BNP expects the ECB to deliver a rate hike in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The European Union and the U.S. sealed a trade deal on Sunday, imposing a 15% tariff on most EU goods — half the threatened rate and averting a major transatlantic trade war.

“With a deal having now been reached, trade policy is less of a reason for the ECB to cut policy rates further,” analysts at Deutsche Bank said in a note. “Further easing is now a risk scenario.”

The ECB held rates steady at 2% last week and offered a modestly upbeat assessment of the euro zone economy, raising doubts among investors about further policy easing. The central bank has cut its policy rate eight times since June 2024.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A view of the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo

Other major brokers, including Morgan Stanley and UBS, have also flagged uncertainty around a September rate cut.

Money market traders are pricing in 14 basis points of easing by year-end, implying around a 55% chance of a quarter-point rate cut. They then price a small chance of a rate hike by September 2026, according to data compiled by LSEG.

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