Hertz Car Sales joins Amazon Autos platform for vehicle sales
Investing.com-- The People’s Bank of China kept its benchmark loan prime rate unchanged as expected on Wednesday, with Beijing seen resorting to more fiscal measures to boost growth, instead of further loosening monetary policy.
The PBOC kept its one-year loan prime rate at 3.0%, as expected, while its five-year LPR, which is used to determine mortgage rates, remained unchanged at 3.5%. Both rates were at historical lows after a slew of cuts by Beijing over the past three years.
The loan prime rate is set based on considerations from 18 designated commercial banks, and serves as a benchmark for lending rates in China.
China cut the LPR steadily over the past three years, bringing rates further into record-low territory as Beijing sought to shore up local liquidity to offset disinflation and support the economy.
But this provided only a limited boost to the Chinese economy, with Beijing seen resorting to more fiscal measures in recent months to provide economic support.
Analysts were seen dialing down their bets on more LPR cuts this year, especially with the Chinese economy facing fewer trade headwinds than initially feared. The U.S. and China recently agreed to extend their trade tariff truce by another three months, heralding limited pressure on Chinese exports to the United States.
But the LPR is expected to remain pinned at record lows for the time being, especially amid limited signs of recovery in the Chinese economy. More disinflation and weakness in the property market could also invite more rate cuts by the PBOC.