The End of the Easing Road? Lagarde Holds the Line as EUR Gains Ground

The European Central Bank may have just executed another rate cut but make no mistake this was not your typical dovish pivot. If anything, the tone from Christine Lagarde and the Governing Council was one of careful restraint, perhaps even quiet resistance. Yes, the deposit rate was trimmed by 25bp to 2.00%, but what followed sent a louder message: the ECB believes it’s nearing the end of its easing cycle, not beginning a new one.

This latest move brings the policy rate squarely to the mid-point of the ECB’s own “neutral” range (1.75%–2.25%) as published earlier this year. That’s no coincidence. The central bank has now positioned itself with enough policy ammunition to pause, assess, and importantly push back against overly dovish market expectations. And that’s exactly what Lagarde did.

A Hawkish Cut, and a Careful Narrative

Lagarde’s press conference was a balancing act. The ECB unveiled a set of downgraded inflation projections, with headline HICP expected to fall to 2.0% in 2025 (down from 2.3%) and to a low of 1.6% in 2026. These adjustments alone might have fuelled expectations of a longer easing cycle, but Lagarde made a point to attribute the fall in inflation to two main factors: lower energy prices and a stronger euro.

By calling these revisions “mechanical,” she was sending a message: this isn’t a sign that demand is collapsing or that core inflation is vanishing. In fact, core HICP was slightly revised up to 2.4% for 2025, suggesting underlying pressures are still present particularly in wage growth and services. That’s a key point. The disinflation process is real, but it’s not purely a monetary story.

On growth, the ECB’s tone was cautious but not gloomy. GDP expectations for 2025 hold at 0.9%, and 2026 was revised slightly down to 1.1%, mainly due to carryover effects from tariffs and fading momentum after a solid first half of the year. But even here, the ECB remains optimistic that increased government spending especially in defence and infrastructure could support resilience into 2027 and beyond.

Why Lagarde’s Messaging Matters

Lagarde is walking a tightrope between acknowledging progress on inflation and avoiding a market overreaction that might unwind the ECB’s work prematurely. The last thing the ECB wants is a surge in rate cut bets that pushes financial conditions too loose, undermining its fight against lingering core price pressures. Her insistence that the easing cycle is “well-positioned” and that decisions remain “data-dependent” reinforces the ECB’s desire to control the narrative.

Behind this language is also a deeper concern: global risks. The ECB’s scenario analysis explicitly warns that if EU-US trade tensions escalate something increasingly likely given the political calendar in both regions both growth and inflation could undershoot forecasts. Conversely, if trade negotiations manage to avoid drama, we could see modest upside.

It’s telling that Lagarde didn’t sound especially hopeful about a “benign” trade resolution. With the U.S. heading into elections and the EU facing its own internal political reshuffling, the odds of messy, drawn-out talks are rising. That geopolitical risk acts as a wildcard for future ECB moves and provides some justification for keeping optionality open, including the possibility of a surprise cut at the July meeting, if conditions deteriorate sharply.

But as of now, markets are aligned with the ECB’s implied message: don’t expect back-to-back cuts. A more likely path is a quarterly pace of reductions, skipping July and reconvening with fresh data and a better read on trade by the September 11 meeting. MUFG still sees a terminal rate of 1.50% by year-end, but even that feels more conditional than before. The bar for further easing has been raised.

FX Market Response: EUR Repricing

Markets wasted no time absorbing this shift. EUR/USD quickly pushed toward the 1.1500 handle, driven by the hawkish tone and upward revision in the short end of the eurozone yield curve. The 2-year yield rose by 5bps, reflecting a broad repricing of ECB easing expectations.

If the Fed ends up cutting sooner than anticipated particularly if this week’s NFP print comes in weak the euro could gain even more ground. The key resistance at 1.1573 (the April high) is now in play. Beyond that, we could see momentum build toward 1.20 if the ECB stands pat while the Fed pivots.

Also worth noting: Germany’s proposed €46 billion corporate tax relief package could reinforce the euro’s macro foundation. If passed, this fiscal boost would not only support growth but also reduce the pressure on the ECB to do more. That, combined with rising eurozone government investment, particularly in infrastructure and military capacity, suggests we’re entering a phase where fiscal and monetary policy start pulling in opposite directions.

EURUSD 15 Minutes Chart ECB Decision 

Lagarde didn’t just deliver a rate cut she delivered a message of control. This was about shaping expectations and anchoring the ECB’s credibility in an increasingly volatile global backdrop. The central bank is threading the needle: easing just enough to acknowledge disinflation, but not so much as to unleash market exuberance or weaken the euro’s recent strength.

We are likely closer to the end of this easing cycle than many anticipated. Unless inflation stalls again or geopolitical risks flare up in an ugly way, Lagarde may have succeeded in buying the ECB enough space to watch and wait.

For EUR bulls, the macro setup remains constructive. And for FX traders, the focus now shifts firmly to the U.S. with every Fed comment and piece of incoming data holding the potential to tip EUR/USD through critical resistance.

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