Qatar could raise lending rate in future

Qatar, which reduced its deposit rate on Thursday to match a US interest rate cut a day earlier, said it could raise its benchmark lending rate and repurchase rate in the future.

The world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas has kept its lending facility and repo rates steady at 5.5 per cent and 5.55 per cent, respectively, following seven rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve since September 18.

The rates were kept unchanged on Thursday after the latest Fed move, "with the possibility of raising them in the future", the Qatar Central Bank said in a statement.

This is the first time in the current wave of Fed cuts that the Qatar central bank has indicated its future intentions. (Reuters)

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