Irish mortgage experts warn of tough decisions as ECB meets 

Markets are betting the ECB will have reduced rates by 1.5% by the end of the year, but will hold fire for some months yet

ECB president Christine Lagarde. 

The European Central Bank (ECB) meets in Frankfurt on Thursday afternoon, as experts warn that Irish mortgage borrowers will face big decisions over refinancing their home loans this year. 

Financial markets are expecting that ECB president Christine Lagarde, in remarks to the media following the first gathering of the governing council of 2024, will continue to push against bets that the central bank will cut its interest rates aggressively in the coming months.