ECB PRESIDENT LAGARDE ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION AFTER MONTHS OF SPECULATION European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde announced her resignation today, ending months of speculation about her future just as Europe enters a period of rising economic volatility and divisive electoral politics, particularly in her native France. Christine Lagarde will step down on February 7, giving current European Union leaders time to pick her successor before a French presidential election that polls show far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is favoured to win. Her term was due to expire next October. The move comes as the ECB battles inflation risks from an Iran war-driven oil shock while a sharp rise in bond yields, especially in France, threatens to dampen growth. "I leave this institution with a sense of good work done and an ECB that is fit for the future," Lagarde, 70, said in a short video shared on social media. Full article: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2026/1029/1597194-christine-lagarde/