The statement that inflation remains weak supports the central bank's reluctance to announce an end to its bond-buying stimulus program or to raise interest rates from record lows.
Shares of Alibaba Group Holding were up 11.5 percent at $140.08 in premarket trading after the company said it expects revenue growth of 45-49 percent in the 2018 fiscal year. The ECB's annualized projection fell from 1,7% to 1,5%, presumably due to falling energy prices.
S&P 500 e-minis were up 4 points, or 0.16 percent, with 90,286 contracts traded. What's more, European Central Bank policymakers are increasingly confident that inflation in the eurozone will reach its target level "in a durable way".
Against this backdrop, the European Central Bank is widely expected to keep policy unchanged on Thursday, including its 2.3 trillion euro ($2.59 trillion) bond-buying programme and sub-zero interest rates, despite resistance from cash-rich Germany.
"A surging euro was hit by a reality check today as ECB President Mario Draghi took a surprisingly cautious tone in his post-meeting statement, choosing to overlook an improved growth picture and instead focus on lower inflation", said Richard de Meo, managing director of Foenix Partners.
Draghi said at a news conference Thursday that risks to growth are now "broadly balanced".
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against six major currencies, was up 0.25 percent at 96.99, little changed from before the testimony.
That would barely rise to 1.6 per cent in 2019, down from an earlier estimate of 1.7 per cent and further away from its official target of at or close to 2 per cent.
Unemployment at 16-Year Low in May Jobs Report
Manufacturing employment fell by 1,000 jobs last month as payrolls in the automobile sector dropped 1,500 amid declining sales. She said workers who skip out of jobs, whether to hang out with friends or care for family members, face little repercussion.
Mr Draghi stressed that there is no end on the horizon to the ECB's easing programme, which involves buying €60bn-worth of bonds each month to flush more cash into the economy.
Its main rate-the one charged at regular monetary policy operations-remained at 0%, with the deposit rate at minus 0.4%, meaning that banks pay to park overnight deposits with the ECB.
Oil edged up, having hit one-month lows the previous day after an unexpected surge in USA inventories and the return of more Nigerian crude to an already oversupplied market.
Germany, in particular, is the real victim of the ECB's low interest rate policy.
"There is a growing risk that tapering is slower and takes longer than the market now expects", Cosimo Marasciulo, a bond manager at Pioneer Investments said.
The euro, which had climbed as much as 10 percent in the last five months as the dollar weakened and euro zone growth and inflation picked up, fell back to a one-week low of $1.1195 EUR=EBS after the European Central Bank meeting.
Eurostat earlier estimated that the eurozone economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, up from 0.5 per cent in the final quarter of 2016.
Some analysts said Mr. Draghi's remarks Thursday meant a decision on the future of QE might be pushed back, perhaps as late as December.
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