Easing expectations send euro lower

London

THE euro fell by around half a per cent at the start of the run-in to a European Central Bank meeting on Thursday widely expected to ease monetary policy further to help shore up still shaky eurozone growth.

The ECB is expected to push interest rates further into negative territory and make some kind of adjustment to its bond buying programme, but after the bank disappointed many in markets in December, traders are loathe to bet more heavily against the single currency.