Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of the headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank (PBOC), in Beijing, China September 30, 2022.
REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File PhotoSHANGHAI/SINGAPORE, Aug 15 (Reuters) - China's central bank unexpectedly cut key policy rates for the second time in three months on Tuesday, in a fresh sign that the authorities are ramping up monetary easing efforts to boost a sputtering economic recovery.
Analysts said the move opened the door to a potential cut in China's lending benchmark loan prime rate (LPR) next week.
In a Reuters poll of 26 market watchers conducted this week, 20 participants, or 77%, predicted that the central bank would leave the MLF rate unchanged.
The PBOC lowered key policy rates in June to prop up the broad economy, but data has been increasingly weak since.
Persons:
Tingshu Wang, Tommy Wu, Ken Cheung, Winni Zhou, Rae Wee, Kim Coghill, Jamie Freed
Organizations:
People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Mizuho Bank, Thomson
Locations:
Beijing, China, SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, United States