In another bold move to combat inflation the ECB decided to hike interest rates by 0.75% raising the key deposit rate to 1.5%, the highest level in over a decade. The euro-zone are at the epicentre of the energy-price crisis and so the ECB’s latest decision to deliver a second straight three-quarter point hike underscores their commitment to control prices in the face of a probable recession. This move is more in tandem with the Federal Reserve’s rate hiking path, yet the consensus is that the ECB’s pace of rate rises should ease from here to peak at 2.5% in March 2023. However, a key challenge which continues to remain is determining an appropriate balance of monetary tightening as households grapple with surging energy bills and higher mortgage rates. On a brighter note, the majority of sectors ended the third quarter in positive territory, led by healthy earnings in European tech stocks.