ECB’s Makhlouf expects 50 bp rate hike on Dec. 15

DUBLIN (Reuters) – European Central Bank governing council member Gabriel Makhlouf told journalists on Monday that he expects the bank’s Dec. 15 policy meeting will likely settle on a 50 basis point rise in interest rates.

The ECB has raised rates by a record 200 bps since July, but a slowdown in euro zone inflation and benign signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve have bolstered the case for those advocating a 50-bps hike after back-to-back increases of 75 bps.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Alison Williams)