The European Central Bank has left interest rates unchanged at 0.05 percent.<br /><br />The decision to maintain the status quo was widely expected after the ECB cut interest rates to rock-bottom levels last month.<br /><br />It is holding them at record lows while it rolls out a batch of measures it hopes will see off the spectre of deflation and revive the euro zone economy.<br /><br />The ECB is expected to give details later on Thursday of its asset purchase programme announced last month.<br /><br />It has already ruled out buying government bonds like other central banks have done, but has yet to make clear what it will be buying.
