Banque de Maurice : Le Repo Rate augmente à 4,5%
Mauvaise nouvelle pour les entreprises et les ménages. Les credits coûteront encore plus cher. C’est ce qui découle de la première réunion du comité de politique monétaire de l’année, ce mardi 4 février. Le taux directeur (Repo Rate) augmente de 50 points de base, passant de 4 % à 4,5 %. L’annonce a été faite par le Dr Rama Sithanen, Gouverneur de la Banque de Maurice.
En voici un extrait de sa conference de presse: “The MPC deliberated lengthily that, at this stage, the fulcrum of policymaking is edging more towards the need to ensure that inflationary expectations remain properly anchored over the medium-term in line with the Bank’s price stability mandate. The MPC deliberated that a pro active policy measure was necessary to mitigate any risks of inflation flaring up by sustainably addressing some of the contributory factors, namely: containing excess liquidity, reversing negative interest rate differentials with major foreign currencies and addressing exchange rate pressures. The growth momentum being observed at present offers room for manoeuvring the Key Rate towards an increase.
As a result, the MPC unanimously decided to raise the Key Rate by 50 basis points from 4.00 per cent per annum to 4.50 per cent per annum at its meeting today, without compromising on the Bank’s other macro-economic objectives. It is expected that banks shall pass on this higher rate to their customers with more attractive Savings Deposit Rates, thereby enhancing the efficacy of the monetary transmission mechanism. Debt serviceability of households and corporates, which was already sound before the rate hike, should continue to remain so.
With our price stability objective in mind, the MPC wanted to make sure that we leave no stone unturned in providing the appropriate bulwarks against potential slides in our rupee. Given the forward-looking element embedded in our monetary policy framework, the MPC has raised the Key Rate in anticipation of potential future increases in inflation. We want to make sure that inflation expectations are solidly anchored and exchange rate pressures contained in Mauritius.”