**The European Central Bank (ECB) has kept interest rates on hold at 1% in a widely-expected decision.**The benchmark rate remains at the lowest in the Bank’s 10-year history.
The ECB made no immediate announcement about any plans to scale back the emergency lending it has made available to banks in the downturn.
Separately, the European Union’s Eurostat agency confirmed that the eurozone economy grew by 0.4% in the third quarter of 2009.