The European Central Bank left its key interest rate benchmark unchanged Thursday, choosing to wait for confirmation that rapidly receding inflation is firmly under control before cutting rates to support an economy that's struggling to grow. The bank's rate-setting council said in its post-decision statement that, Most measures of underlying inflation are easing... But domestic price pressures are strong and are keeping services price inflation high. President Christine Lagarde's news conference will be scrutinised for hints about the potential downward path of rates at future meetings. The policy meeting at the bank's skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt is widely regarded as a prelude to a likely rate cut at the next meeting on June 6, after Lagarde dropped a broad hint by saying that the bank would have more information on the path of inflation at that meeting. The decision comes as the rich world's central banks including the ECB and the US Federal Reserve are weighing when .. Read The Rest at :