RBA Keeps Cash Rate on Hold at 0.25 Pct

Philip Lowe (R), Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, sits next to Steven Kennedy, Secretary to the Department of Treasury, during the Meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) at Parramatta Stadium in western Sydney on March 13, 2020. DAVID GRAY/Getty Images

The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept the cash rate at a record low of 0.25 percent at its monthly board meeting, as widely expected by economists.

The central bank said notwithstanding the signs of a gradual improvement after the coronavirus lockdown was eased, the nature and speed of the economic recovery remains highly uncertain.

Governor Philip Lowe pledged not to increase the cash rate target until progress was made towards full employment and the board was confident inflation would be sustainably within the 2.0 percent to 3.0 percent target band.

Sydney