ECB calendar for 2024: all the dates of the upcoming meetings are in the spotlight, including those related to the Lagarde press conference.
The European Central Bank attracted the attention of markets and analysts in 2023, especially for its aggressive monetary policy towards inflation. What will happen in 2024, experts ask?
The rate hikes reached a record 4.5% and is now impacting loans, mortgages and investments of European consumers and businesses with real recession which is more specific every day.
The more pressing question is whetherEurotower they will actually be able to start cutting rates this year that just started.
In this rich and complex context, ECB meeting calendar for 2024 it’s strategic.
Each encounter (and related Press conference) will be torn, eager to know the direction of the bloc’s monetary policy and the future of the European Central Bank.
ECB calendar: 2024 meeting with press conference
Like every year in 2024 The European Central Bank will meet 7 times in order to take specific decisions on interest rates and monetary policy in order to maintain stable prices.
All data in detail below ECB meeting next year which include the meeting chaired by Christine Lagarde and her press conference (these are the meetings where interest rates are decided):
- 25/01/2024
- 03/07/2024
- 11/04/2024
- 06/06/2024
- 18/07/2024
- 12/09/2024
- 17/10/2024
- December 12, 2024
ECB: 2024 non-monetary meetings
The ECB also meets during the year non-monetary actionsor to meetings where no rate decisions are expected. However, these meetings are equally important because they relate to all other missions of the central bank.
Eurotower is actually concerned with price stability (for which it uses interest rates as its preferred instrument) and other fundamental issues. For example, the management of gold and foreign exchange reserves and the infrastructure of the Eurozone financial market; the collection of statistical data on policy implementation by European regulatory authorities; stability of the financial system; monitoring the banking sector.
These matters are discussed in non-monetary meetings, with a final report of what has been decided being released through official channels. The calendar for 2024 provides the following non-monetary meetings:
- 21/02/2024
- 05/08/2024
- 05/22/2024
- 19/06/2024
- 01/07/2024
- 25/09/2024
- 13/11/2024
- 27/11/2024
ECB meeting forecasts for 2024: what to expect?
Each meeting of the European Central Bank, in particular as regards negotiations that concern monetary policy decisions, leaves significant marks on the markets. 2024 promises to be a pivotal year for European stock markets and the euro, usually most affected by the impact of any decision taken in Frankfurt.
After reaching the maximum level of 4.5%, next year interest rates should start to fall with the accommodative reduction policy that the markets are already predicting. However, there are many doubts about what the governing board under Chairwoman Christine Lagarde will actually decide. Official reports from ECB officials have so far been cautious, with optimism about a drop in inflation but no date for a cut in the cost of money.
For this reason, 2024 will be a year full of challenges and pitfalls for the eurozone and the ECB itself. Rates could remain at a at a high level for a long timeor, if inflation actually falls further or if i winds of recession they will blow too hard, they will start to fall. But not before spring, as Lagarde mentioned.
With lower rates, stock markets usually rise, bonds appreciate (with falling yields) and the euro depreciates. On the contrary, with an aggressive monetary policy and high interest rates, the euro can advance, yields rise and shares lose their attractiveness. Anything can happen at ECB meetings in 2024.
ECB calendar: 2023 meeting with press conference
The ECB usually meets twice a month in Frankfurt. However, it only deals with interest rates, QE and monetary policy in general once every 6 weeks.
This means that the calendar from ECB meeting in 2023 AND divided into two parts: the former highlights monetary policy appointments, while the latter only dates reserved for other non-monetary discussions.
Below is the calendar with the dates of monetary policy meetings for 2023, which will be followed by Christine Lagarde’s traditional press conference: