ECB leaves monetary policy unchanged

The European Central Bank decided to leave its main rate and the amount of bond purchases unchanged at its July meeting, as widely expected.

The interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will remain unchanged at 0.00%, 0.25% and -0.40% respectively, said the ECB.

The ECB confirms that the monthly asset purchases of €80 billion are intended to run until the end of March 2017, or beyond, if necessary and rates will remain at present or lower levels for an extended period.

The President of the ECB, Mario Draghi, will comment on the considerations underlying these decisions at a press conference starting at 12:30GMT.