Australia's central bank Tuesday held interest rates at the historic low of 2.0 percent, but said continued low inflation would provide scope for further easing to stimulate the economy. For the ninth straight meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept its official cash rate at its lowest level in history, first reached in May 2015.
"At today's meeting, the board judged that there were reasonable prospects for continued growth in the economy, with inflation close to target," RBA Governor Glenn Stevens said in a statement. "The board therefore decided that the current setting of monetary policy remained appropriate." The RBA, which had been widely expected to keep rates on hold, said its wait-and-see approach would give it more time to assess whether recent financial turbulence "portends weaker global and domestic demand". The bank said the global economy appeared to be growing at a slightly lower pace than had been expected, while key trading partner China's growth rate was continuing to moderate. In Australia, there were positive signs as the economy unwinds from an unprecedented period of mining investment, with improved labour market conditions an indication of expansion in the non-mining parts of the economy, it said.