India, Feb. 13 -- The Philippine central bank unexpectedly left its interest rates unchanged after cutting it for three straight times amid heightened uncertainty over US trade policy. The Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas decided to hold the target reverse repurchase rate at 5.75 percent. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by 25 basis points.
The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were kept unchanged at 5.25 percent and 6.25 percent, respectively.
Inflation forecast for 2025 was lifted to 3.5 percent from 3.4 percent, while the projection for 2026 was retained at 3.7 percent.
The board said uncertainty about the outlook for inflation and growth warrant keeping monetary policy setting...