Kazimir Preferred date for first rate cut would be June
Inflation falling quicker than thought but wage trends uncertain
Smooth, steady easing cycle is preferable, Kazimir says
Market pricing now 39;more realistic39;

Feb 28 Reuters The European Central Bank will acknowledge an improved inflation outlook when it meets next week but it must avoid any commitment to an interest rate cut and should hold off on any such step until June, Peter Kazimir, Slovakia39;s central bank chief said.

The ECB has kept rates at a record high since September but with inflation now quickly retreating, policymakers are debating when to start unwinding some of the 10 hikes that took the deposit rate from deep in negative territory to 4 in just over a year.

Once interest rates start falling, the ECB should keep going at evenly paced increments for a steady cycle of policy easing, Kazimir, who sits on the ECB39;s ratesetting Governing Council, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

There is no reason to rush a rate cut, Kazimir, a former finance minister said. June would be my preferred date, April would surprise me and March is a no go.

The timeline is important because I would prefer a smooth and steady cycle of policy easing and for that, we have to be pretty sure about the first step, Kazimir, an outspoken conservative, added.

Although the ECB has not officially hinted at any date, Greece39;s Yannis Stournaras, an outspoken policy dove, has also put June on the table,…