China’s central bank keeps short-term borrowing rates steady despite US Fed rise
- The People’s Bank of China’s kept the interest rate on seven-day reverse bond repurchase agreements at 2.55 per cent, and the 14-day rate at 2.7 per cent
- US Federal Reserve had raised its benchmark rate just hours earlier
China’s central bank left its short-term borrowing rates unchanged on Thursday, choosing not to follow its US counterpart, which raised its benchmark rate just hours earlier.
The decision follows the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC) announcement on Wednesday of a new lending tool, the Targeted Medium-Term Lending Facility, aimed at spurring lending to smaller firms.
The PBOC kept the interest rate on seven-day reverse bond repurchase agreements at 2.55 per cent, and kept the 14-day reverse repurchase rate at 2.7 per cent, it said in a statement on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve raised its benchmark fund rates, the fourth such increase this year, but the PBOC has only followed suit once, increasing its short- and medium-term interest rates by 5 basis points in March.
The world’s two largest economies have adopted diverging policy paths this year, with China leaning towards an easing monetary and credit stance to reduce financial costs for private business and support the broad economy.