China widely expected to keep lending benchmark LPRs unchanged in Aug

In a Reuters survey of 37 market watchers conducted this week, all respondents expected both the one-year and five-year LPRs to stay unchanged. – Reuters

SHANGHAI: China is expected to leave benchmark lending rates unchanged on Tuesday, a Reuters poll showed, after policymakers surprised global markets by trimming a string of key interest rates in July.

Shrinking interest margins at lenders remain the key constraint discouraging commercial banks from further lowering the lending benchmarks, market watchers said, even though the general consensus is that the world's second largest economy needs more stimulus to bolster a fragile recovery.