(Adds details, reaction)
By Zhou Xin and Eadie Chen
BEIJING, Nov 26 (Reuters) - China lowered interest rates on Wednesday for the fourth time since mid-September, stepping up the pace of monetary easing to help cushion the blow of the global financial crisis the world's fourth-largest economy.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said the benchmark rates for one-year loans and deposits will both fall by 1.08 percentage points, bringing the cost of one-year borrowing to 5.58 percent and the rate on one-year certificates of deposit to 2.52 percent.
The cut in the lending rate was the biggest since October 1997; that in the deposit rate was the biggest since June 1999.
The central bank also reduced the proportion of deposits that banks must hold in reserve, giving them more money to lend to businesses reeling from a drop in export demand and a downturn in the property market.
The cuts come on the heels of a 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus package unveiled on Nov. 9 designed to ramp up investment in short order in roads, railways, affordable housing and an array of public works.
"They are continuing what is the best policy prescription in these times, which is increased fiscal spending and easier monetary policy. This is a good move," said Patrick Bennett, Asia foreign exchange and rates strategist with Societe Generale in Hong Kong.
"China is out to save itself here. The rest of Asia is strong, but all policy makers in the region and on the planet need to take their own steps. China is showing good leadership by what it has done."
Like other countries, China has watched its economy slow dramatically since the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in mid-September opened a new, dark chapter in the financial crisis, shaking confidence and prompting banks to cut credit lines.
Industrial growth slumped last month to a seven-year lows; exports, imports, retail sales and fixed-asset investment all weakened, while power generation fell 4 percent from a year earlier, the first drop in a non-holiday month for a decade.
CUTS ACROSS THE BOARD
The cut in interest rates takes effect on Thursday, the central bank said on its website (www.pbc.gov.cn).
The PBOC said the easing, which follows interest rate cuts on Oct. 29, Oct. 8 and Sept. 15, was meant to ensure sufficient liquidity in the banking system to ensure growth.
To that end, it also carried out big cuts in banks' reserve requirements. The ratio for big banks will decrease by 1 percentage point, while that for smaller banks will be cut by 2 percentage points, effective Dec. 5.
The five biggest banks will have to hold 16.0 percent of their deposits in reserve at the PBOC, down from 17.0 percent. The requirement for other lenders drops to 14.0 percent from 16.0 percent.
Leaving no doubt about its message of easing, the PBOC also cut the one-year relending rate by 108 basis points, and decreased the interest rate payable on required reserves and excess reserves by 27 basis points.
"All my colleagues were shocked by such a big easing. It signals the government may believe the economic situation is really serious for it to call for such a drastic move," said Liu Dongliang, a currency analyst at China Merchants Bank in Shenzhen.
"No doubt it will be negative for the yuan's exchange rate in the medium and long run, though the central bank may work to keep the currency stable in coming days." (Additional reporting by Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong bureaus; Editing by Jason Subler)