Jay Powell struck a be aware of optimism this week when he defined why he felt in a position, eventually, to sluggish the tempo of charge rises. The elimination of excessive inflation would possibly solely be within the “early phases”, the Federal Reserve chair mentioned, but it surely was “gratifying” that worth pressures within the US had been noticeably beginning to ease.

Christine Lagarde on Thursday was far gloomier, because the European Central Financial institution president set out the reasoning behind her rate-setters’ newest half share level enhance. Despite the fact that headline inflation had begun to fall within the eurozone too, it was nonetheless “far too excessive”, and underlying worth pressures remained “alive and kicking”.

Whereas each Powell and Andrew Bailey, his counterpart on the Financial institution of England, signalled US and UK charges had been near their peak, Lagarde raised the near-certain prospect of one other half-point rise in March — and hinted strongly that eurozone borrowing prices would wish to rise additional past that.

“The ECB assertion confirms that the European Central Financial institution is probably the most hawkish of the majors at current,” mentioned Krishna Guha, of Evercore ISI, a analysis agency.

The hole between rate-setters, after months of central banks on either side of the Atlantic imposing bumper charge rises, is partly defined by the ECB’s determination to attend longer earlier than starting to tighten. Even when March’s rise does go forward, the ECB’s deposit charge, at 3 per cent — up from the present stage of two.5 per cent, would stay decrease than its equivalents within the US and the UK.

The BoE’s tenth consecutive charge enhance on Thursday took benchmark borrowing prices to 4 per cent, however the central financial institution dropped its earlier steerage that it could proceed to behave “forcefully” to include inflation, merely saying it could act once more if there was proof of extra persistent worth pressures.

After Wednesday’s quarter-point enhance, the US federal funds charge now hovers between a goal vary of 4.50 per cent to 4.75 per cent. Powell mentioned within the post-meeting press convention that, whereas he can be “cautious about declaring victory”, he noticed a path to bringing inflation again to focus on and not using a “actually important financial decline”.

Fed officers’ newest December projections present the coverage charge would wish to surpass 5 per cent and stay there all through 2023 to carry inflation right down to 2 per cent. When requested if these projections could possibly be upgraded in March, Powell mentioned the central financial institution would make “data-dependent choices”. Some took that as an indication officers are not so positive charges might want to stay that top for that lengthy.

Regardless of the dour message from Lagarde, market members took the ECB’s pledge to “consider” the trail of rates of interest in Could as an indication that it was making ready for a pause. “In all circumstances, central financial institution chiefs are beginning to publicly entertain the notion that charges are reaching a peak,” mentioned James Athey, funding director at Abrdn, an asset supervisor.

However, when requested if the ECB meant to ship a sign that the speed rise deliberate for March can be its final for some time, Lagarde was adamant that was not the meant message. “No, no, no, no,” she mentioned, including that the central financial institution would undertake “no matter charges are wanted . . . to ship on our 2 per cent inflation goal in a well timed method”. It might additionally preserve them in restrictive territory for so long as wanted — a transparent sign that markets’ expectations of cuts later this 12 months aren’t shared by rate-setters.

Lagarde pointed to a number of the reason why inflation might show tougher to tame within the eurozone than within the US, even when the dangers had turn into extra balanced than beforehand.

One was ongoing fiscal help for customers and companies, which in some circumstances, is not going to be eliminated routinely as power costs fall. “It’s now vital to begin rolling again these measures promptly,” Lagarde mentioned, warning “a stronger financial response” would in any other case be required.

Wage development, though nonetheless a priority for all central banks, is slowing within the US. It’s nonetheless accelerating within the eurozone as multiyear offers struck with unions are solely simply developing for renegotiation. These new offers might set pay at considerably larger ranges, reflecting the sharp rise in meals and power costs employees have needed to soak up over the previous 12 months.

“It’s simpler mentioned than accomplished, however it is vital in these negotiations that there’s a forward-looking method to what inflation can be, and that we’ll return it to 2 per cent,” Lagarde mentioned.

The ECB president additionally flagged the affect China’s reopening was having on world commodity costs. In contrast to within the US, European items costs proceed to rise, with the consequences of the pandemic on provide chains nonetheless feeding by.

“The ECB is not going to have a robust cause to chop charges considerably within the foreseeable future,” mentioned Holger Schmieding, economist at Berenberg Financial institution.

“European inflation has lagged the dynamics for the US,” mentioned Tiffany Wilding, an economist at Pimco, an asset supervisor. Within the US, in distinction, she added: “The steadiness of danger to inflation is extra balanced. Inflation is moderating and the Fed, in that setting, simply doesn’t have to be as restrictive.”

Merchants had been unconvinced by Lagarde’s warnings, deciphering the ECB’s message as a shift to a much less hawkish stance. Sandra Horsfield, economist at wealth supervisor Investec, mentioned many had centered on the ECB’ describing the dangers to each development and inflation as “extra balanced”.

After a 12 months of supersized charge rises to deal with record-high inflation, the merest hints that worth pressures had been coming below management in 2023 proved sufficient to ship bonds and shares hovering.

Giles Gale, a strategist at financial institution NatWest Markets, mentioned: “On this world setting not hawkish is dovish.”