ECB Primes Fresh Rate Cut as Inflation Begins to Ease Again

The annual rate of inflation in the eurozone cooled for the first time in five months during February, reassuring news for policymakers at the European Central Bank as they prepare to meet later this week.

Consumer prices were 2.4% higher in February than a year earlier, the EU’s statistics agency said Monday. That was a slower rate of inflation than the 2.5% recorded in January and followed four straight months of steadily faster price rises.