British News Agency

According to the analysts, the FTSE index is seen to open 76 points higher at 8,267,  DAX up 159 points at 18,482, CAC 40 up 64 points at 7,460, and FTSE MIB up 257 points at 33,472.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to cut rates again by 25 basis points on Thursday. This would be the first cut since June when it described the potential for a September reduction as “wide open.”

The ECB’s key interest rate — which helps to price all sorts of loans and mortgages across the bloc — is currently at 3.75 percent after years of aggressive hikes.

The ECB’s meeting comes just days ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Sept. 17-18 meeting, at which it’s expected to begin its own rate-cutting cycle.

European investors are also digesting the latest consumer price index report from the U.S. that reflected a 0.2 percent increase in consumer prices in August, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.5 percent — its lowest level since February 2021.

There are no other major earnings or data releases in Europe on Thursday.