Asia-Pacific News

Indonesia central bank holds benchmark rate at 7.5%

Watch Berkshire

Indonesia's central bank, which last month surprisingly cut its benchmark rate, on Tuesday held it steady at 7.50 percent, as expected.

Bank Indonesia said the level of the rate is consistent with efforts to contain inflation and the current account deficit.

At the meeting, it also maintained its overnight deposit facility rate and lending facility rate, at 5.50 percent and 8.00 percent respectively.

Dimas Ardian | Bloomberg | Getty Images

In February, Bank Indonesia cut its key rate by 25 basis points and revised the inflation outlook for 2015 to below 4 percent.

Most analysts in a Reuters poll predicted Bank Indonesia would hold the rate on Tuesday, but would probably cut sometime later in the year.

In February, annual inflation eased to 6.29 percent from a peak in December of 8.36 percent.

But the currency of Southeast Asia's largest economy has been weakening steadily since BI's last policy meeting.

The rupiah recently has been at its weakest since August 1998. It traded at 13,181 per dollar on Tuesday, unchanged after the announcement.

Berkshire Hathaway Live Event