European Central Bank is ready to start cutting interest rates, says chief economist

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

The European Central Bank has sent a clear signal that it will cut interest rates from their historic highs next week, as its chief economist brushed off fears that doing so before the US Federal Reserve could backfire.

The ECB now looks almost certain to be one of the first major central banks to cut rates, having been…