Despite making similar moves in the recent past, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve are now at different junctures.

The European Central Bank cut interest rates on Thursday and policymakers guided for a further reduction in March as concerns over lacklustre economic growth supersede worries about persistent inflation.

The European Central Bank on Thursday cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, saying it expects inflation to fall back to its target later in the year and signaling that further easing is likely in coming months.