The Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) programme announced by the ECB last month will never be a replacement for primary market access, says the bank’s president Mario Draghi.

Ireland’s unemployment rate will peak at 15.5% and business investment will drop by 5% next year, as credit conditions remain very tight, according to Ernst & Young’s eurozone economic forecast.

THE combined eurozone economy could fall by 3% over the next two years, with a fresh “credit crunch” problem arising if decisive action isn’t taken to tackle the sovereign debt crisis, according to a new study.

HOMEOWNERS are unlikely to see any interest rates hikes in the coming months, with figures also showing the cost of living edged lower, as did the price of insurance, entertainment and cars.

HOMEOWNERS are likely to hear some welcome news today with the European Central Bank (ECB) tipped to indicate it will put a halt to more interest rate hikes for now.

COMMERCIAL borrowers and the country’s 777,321 residential mortgage holders could be in line for significant savings, as economists across Europe predict and recommend that the European Central Bank cuts interest rates by a third.

EUROPEAN Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said the bank is reviewing its assessment of inflation risks after growth in the 17-nation eurozone slowed.

MORE than four out of five homeowners will be exposed to the prospect of rising mortgage costs today as interest rates are expected to rise.

Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao has offered his country’s support for Europe and its common currency amid the eurozone’s debt crisis.

HOMEOWNERS could be hit with two more interest rate hikes this year if the Government fails to deliver on a commitment to stop banks passing on rises to mortgage holders.

THE European Central Bank (ECB) risks making a “fundamental policy mistake” if it raises interest rates, a new report has warned.

The rising cost of oil could cause Ireland's economic activity, or GDP, to fall by as much as 3% this year.

IRELAND’S rescue programme is a good one and will bring stabilisation to the country, according to the European Central Bank (ECB).

THE Irish bank lending environment became “more restrictive” during the third quarter of this year, despite a marginal rise in the demand for business loans, according to a Central Bank survey.

THOUSANDS of mortgage holders can expect to see their repayments plunge by up to a third as they come off fixed rates.

THE European Central Bank gave no indication it was considering raising interest rates yesterday meaning more good news for tracker mortgage holders.

TRACKER mortgage customers were again given a reprieve from rising interest rates yesterday with the European Central Bank (ECB) holding rates at the record low 1%.

INTEREST rates are being held at their record low 1%, with economists expecting no hike until at least the middle of next year.

TIMELY cost reductions and strong fundamentals are driving a faster than expected economic recovery, but this will not translate into jobs until 2014 or later.

INTEREST rates set by the European Central Bank (ECB) could stay at a record low until 2012, it has been suggested.

AS the European Central Bank (ECB) shows no sign of hiking interest rates, first-time buyers are being told now could be a good time to buy despite the possibility that property prices have not yet bottomed out.