CHINESE banks maintained their benchmark lending rates for September, as policymakers hold off on further monetary stimulus while financial institutions struggle with record-low profit margins.
The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) will stay at 3.35 per cent and the five-year rate, a reference for long-term credit including mortgages, remains at 3.85 per cent, according to a statement from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on Friday (Sep 20). The moves were in line with the forecasts of most economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
The inaction follows the PBOC’s decision to leave the seven-day reverse repurchase rate unchanged in its daily open market operations since a July cut. Chinese banks are also reluctant to reduce lending rates because their net interest margin has dropped to a historic low of 1.54 per cent as at the end of June.
That said, expectations have started to build that easing is imminent after the Chinese central bank indicated last week it was preparing additional policies to revive the economy.
The US Federal Reserve’s bold start to cutting rates on Wednesday also means a narrower policy differential between the US and China, reducing downward pressure on the yuan.
Bloomberg Economics expects the PBOC to trim its policy rates by at least 10 basis points in the fourth quarter, offering banks more room to lower their LPRs.
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The world’s second-largest economy is in urgent need of more stimulus to achieve the government’s annual goal of around 5 per cent growth this year.
Recent official data showed production, consumption and investment all cooled more than economists had expected in August and credit demand remained sluggish, reflecting weak confidence across China in the face of a property slump and threats of deflation.
The PBOC is trying to guide market rates with its short-term tool after years of using the medium-term lending facility (MLF) for that purpose. Lenders cut the LPRs in July soon after policymakers lowered the seven-day rate.
On Wednesday, the central bank delayed until later this month the renewal of some maturing funds it offered domestic lenders via the one-year MLF as part of the overhaul of its policy toolkit. The PBOC last trimmed the MLF rate on Jul 25, when it was decreased by the most since 2020. BLOOMBERG
