SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's benchmark lending rate is likely to remain steady for a sixth straight month at its October fixing on Tuesday, after the central bank left rates on its medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans unchanged last week, a Reuters survey showed.
Twenty-five out of 28 traders and analysts in a snap Reuters poll, or nearly 90%, predicted no change in either the one-year Loan Prime Rate (LPR)
The one-year LPR is now 3.85% after two cuts this year, the five-year rate at 4.65%.
Many analysts and economists expect the rates will remain unchanged through the rest of the year, but the authorities will keep conditions accommodative to support recovery in the world's second-largest economy from coronavirus disruption.
The expectations for the steady fixing this month came as the People's Bank of China (PBOC) kept borrowing costs on the medium-term lending facility unchanged for the sixth month in a row last week.
The MLF is one of the PBOC's main tools in managing longer-term liquidity in the banking system and serves as a guide for the LPR.
Official data on Monday showed that China's economic recovery accelerated in the third quarter as consumers shook off their coronavirus caution, although the weaker-than-expected headline growth suggested persistent risks for one of the few drivers of global demand.
The LPR is a lending reference rate set monthly by 18 banks.
All 28 responses in the survey were collected from selected participants on a private messaging platform.
