04/07/2008 13:08. July 4 (Bloomberg) -- Mazda Motor Corp. , Japan's fifth- largest automaker, gained the most in a month after the European Central Bank signaled it may stop raising interest rates in the carmaker's most-profitable market.

The Hiroshima, Japan-based company gained as much as 5.3 percent to 554 yen and traded at 549 yen as of 10:24 a.m. in Tokyo, the biggest gain since June 4. Mazda generates about half of its profit in Europe, according to Koji Endo , an analyst at Credit Suisse Group.

ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet played down prospects of interest-rate increases yesterday, saying the quarter-point boost will help bring inflation back below 2 percent. The yen... // Bloomberg