KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday announced reduction of 150 basis points in key policy rate to bring it at 11 percent. The central bank cut the policy rate second time in last seven days considering massive deterioration in the economy due to large scale spread of coronaviruse.
A statement issued by the SBP said that at its last meeting on March 17, 2020, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) noted considerable uncertainty about how the Coronavirus outbreak would impact the global economy and Pakistan.
In the statement issued following that meeting, the MPC emphasized that it stood ready to take further actions if and when needed as more information becomes available on the outlook for inflation and growth.â€
The SBP said that substantial new information on global and domestic developments has become available since the last MPC meeting. Globally, the Coronavirus has severely increased in reach.
This has caused major disruptions to economic activity and the IMF has also significantly downgraded its global growth outlook for 2020 from 3.3 percent growth previously to below zero. These global developments have also led to a sharp fall in international trade, the SBP added.
On the domestic front, since the last MPC, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased considerably, prompting social distancing and curtailment of activity. This is expected to lead to noticeable slowdown in domestic demand, according to the SBP.
The developments discussed above imply that the outlook for growth and inflation in Pakistan is likely to be revised down further. In the wake of this new information, the MPC agreed at its emergency meeting today, to take further action, the SBP said.
Accordingly, the SBP noted, the MPC has decided to cut the policy rate by a further 150 basis points to 11 percent. This brings the cumulative easing over the past one week to 225 basis points.
The MPC was of the view that this cumulative easing would cushion the growth slowdown while protecting inflation expectations.
The MPC also noted that SBP is in the process of taking necessary regulatory measures in coordination with banks to address pressures on cash flows of borrowers affected by Coronavirus related disruptions through facilitating deferment and restructuring of their loans.
The announcement of these measures is expected soon and will complement the action being taken by the MPC on interest rates today.
The MPC remains ready to take whatever further actions become necessary in response to the evolving economic impact of the Coronavirus.