Russian central bank holds rates at 16% after months of tightening
By Elena Fabrichnaya and Alexander Marrow
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's central bank held its key interest rate at 16% on Friday, opting to leave borrowing costs unchanged after five successive rate hikes since last summer, still grappling with stubborn inflation pressure.
The central bank had raised rates by 850 basis points since July, including an unscheduled emergency hike in August as the rouble tumbled past 100 to the dollar and the Kremlin called for tighter monetary policy, but has lately signalled a more dovish approach.
The bank said returning inflation to its 4% target this year would require «tight monetary conditions… for a long period» and warned that inflationary pressures remained high, despite their easing from autumn peaks.
Analysts largely viewed the signal as neutral. Governor Elvira Nabiullina will shed further light on the direction of monetary policy in a press conference at 1200 GMT.
Domestic demand was still outstripping production capacity, the bank said, with labour shortages still the key constraint on expanding the output of goods and services.
«A judgement on the sustainable nature of emerging disinflationary trends would be premature,» the bank said in a statement.
The balance of inflation risks is still tilted to the upside over the medium term, the bank said, pointing to elevated inflation expectations and suggesting that it has inflation concerns regarding high budget spending and sanctions impacting Russia's terms of trade.
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Friday's decision was in line with a Reuters poll of analysts, who expect interest rates to start coming down this year. Double-digit rates are expected to remain into 2025.
The bank's next rate-setting meeting is scheduled for March 22.
The bank
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