European bourses didn't even bother to shrug their shoulders at the European Central Bank's (ECB) historic interest rate decision.

After the largest increase in the main refinancing rate of the ECB by 0.75 percentage points to 1.25 percent, the Dax was around 0.5 percent in the red as before the interest rate decision.

Only when ECB President Christine Lagarde expressed skepticism about economic development in the winter and spoke of stagnation in the afternoon did the Dax briefly drop 1.5 percent.

At the end of trading, it was down one per thousand to 12,904 points.

Daniel Mohr

Editor in Business.

  • Follow I follow

Winand von Petersdorff-Campen

Economic correspondent in Washington.

  • Follow I follow

The movement of the euro exchange rate also took place in the third and fourth decimal place.

About 1.0004 dollars had to be paid for one euro, later it was slightly in the red at 0.9970 dollars.

The yield on federal bonds with a term of ten years rose somewhat more visibly from 1.58 to more than 1.7 percent for a short time.

Italian government bonds lost a similar amount of value.

The return rose to almost 4 percent.

With its interest rate hike, the ECB met the expectations of market participants.

Inflation rates in the euro zone, which had risen to more than 9 percent, had strengthened the view that a decisive interest rate hike of 75 basis points was to be expected.

The deposit rate was also increased by 0.75 percentage points to 0.75 percent.

Until the July interest rate hike by the ECB, it was minus 0.5 percent and was decisive for the numerous negative interest rates charged by banks and savings banks on their customers' deposits.

In the coming weeks and months, many customers are likely to see positive interest rates on their savings for the first time in years.

Construction loans are becoming more expensive

What pleases savers is unfortunate for borrowers.

The credit broker Interhyp expressed the expectation that after their summer increase from 2.7 to 3.2 percent for loans with a term of ten years, construction interest rates should continue to climb to 3.5 percent.

Michael Neumann, CEO of the credit broker Dr.

Klein, said with a view to the drastically increased construction costs: "For average earners without any significant wealth background, it is becoming increasingly difficult to finance your own property."

In view of the rapidly rising inflation, market observers described the interest rate move by the ECB with words such as "finally", "belated insight" and "a start has been made".

As usual on the stock exchange, people looked straight ahead.

"The prospects for monetary policy in the euro area remain difficult," said Jörg Zeuner, chief economist at fund company Union Investment.

"The inflationary risks emanating from energy prices are too great." The capital markets could continue to be driven through the winter by speculation that the central bank is tightening interest rates even more than previously priced in.

The stock markets remain correspondingly volatile.