MANILA: The Philippine central bank will likely keep its benchmark interest rate steady for a fourth straight meeting on Thursday, according to 11 economists polled by Reuters, with inflation expected to stay within its target this year.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has kept its overnight borrowing rate steady at 4.0 percent since last October as inflation cooled, helped by easing food and fuel prices.
Seven of the 11 economists replied to a question about the timing of the central bank's next policy action.
Of those, three said interest rates will likely be kept on hold for the rest of 2015, then raised in 2016. Three others said the central bank would likely start raising rates in the second half of this year, while one economist predicted a cut to banks' reserve requirement ratio in May.
The central bank has a 2-4 percent inflation target for 2015-2018.
At least one analyst said there is a possibility the central bank would cut the reserve requirement ratio, currently at 20 percent, on Thursday to help contain the peso's strength.
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