The European Central Bank on Thursday cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, saying it expects inflation to fall back to its target later in the year and signaling that further easing is likely in coming months.

The European Central Bank cut interest rates on Thursday and kept the door open to further policy easing as concerns over lacklustre economic growth supersede worries about persistent inflation. It was the fifth ECB rate cut since June and markets expect two or three more this year,