ECB to hike again with attention on what’s next

Policymakers will reveal their decision less than a day after the Federal Reserve eased the pace of its own rate increases to a quarter-point

The ECB will make its announcement at 2:15 p.m. in Frankfurt. President Christine Lagarde, who’s pledged that she and her colleagues will “stay the course” in beating back inflation, faces the press half an hour later. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)

The European Central Bank is about to deliver another half-point increase in interest rates, though investors will be more interested in clues about where borrowing costs are headed beyond this week.

A second straight hike on Thursday of 50 basis points is widely predicted by economists and markets after being flagged repeatedly by officials.