The European Central Bank cut interest rates as expected on Thursday and kept more easing on the table, sticking to its view that inflation in the euro zone is increasingly under control despite concerns about global trade.

The European Central Bank may stop describing its monetary policy stance as “restrictive” at its next decision in March, according to people familiar with the Governing Council’s debate.

The U.S. dollar edged higher against some of its peers including the yen and euro on Thursday as markets weighed fresh tariff threats, slower-than-expected U.S. economic growth, and an interest rate cut by the European Central Bank.

The European Central Bank is set to lower interest rates for a fifth meeting as inflation that’s nearing the 2% target lets officials further loosen the shackles on the economy.

During the press conference, ECB President Christine Lagarde indicated that the central bank's macro assessment had hardly changed from its December meeting. The ECB still sees the disinflationary process on track and expects a pick up in demand, though it acknowledges the near-term weakness of the eurozone economy.

Despite Bitcoin’s growing adoption, ECB President Christine Lagarde signaled Thursday that member states are unlikely to follow suit.

ECB cuts the deposit rate by a quarter point to 2.75 per cent as expected and offers little shift in tone from December as it continues to move policy away from restrictive territory

The ECB (European Central Bank) continued policy normalisation today, with another 25 basis points (bps) worth of cuts across all three benchmark rates. This marks the fourth consecutive rate reduction, bringing the Deposit Facility Rate, the Refinancing Rate, and the Marginal Lending Facility Rate to 2.75%, 2.90%, and 3.15%, respectively.

On Bitcoin, Lagarde’s Czech counterpart Ales Michl yesterday said that his institution will assess whether to hold part of its foreign reserves in Bitcoin. In the US, President Trump has backed the idea of a strategic national Bitcoin reserve.

The central bank cut rates by a quarter point, as it rushes to brace a stagnant economy against President Trump’s threatened tariffs.

European shares reached a record high on Thursday, driven by industrials and technology stocks, as investors awaited the European Central Bank's monetary policy verdict, which is likely to include an interest rate cut.