China loan prime rates are awaited by investors, causing Asia markets to open lower.

China loan prime rates are awaited by investors, causing Asia markets to open lower.
China loan prime rates are awaited by investors, causing Asia markets to open lower.
  • The five-year loan rate is typically used as a reference point for property mortgages, while the one-year rate is commonly used as a benchmark for most corporate and household loans.
  • Currently, the one-year LPR is 3.45%, and the five-year LPR is 3.95%.

Investors awaited China's one- and five-year loan prime rates, which caused Asia-Pacific markets to fall on Thursday.

The five-year loan prime rate is commonly used as a reference for property mortgages, while the one-year rate is typically used for corporate and household loans. Currently, the one-year loan prime rate is 3.45%, and the five-year rate is 3.95%.

This week, the People's Bank of China maintained the rate of the 1-year medium-term lending facility at 2.5%.

The futures market in Japan opened weaker, with the Chicago contract at 38,370 and the Osaka contract at 38,340, compared to the previous close of 38,570.26.

The S&P/ASX 200 futures for Australia were at 7,752, a slight decrease from its previous close of 7,769.7.

The HSI's last close was higher than Hong Kong futures, which were at 18,391.

On Wednesday, U.S. markets were closed for a holiday. Meanwhile, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite futures rose by 0.04% and 0.19%, respectively, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell by 0.17%.

by Charmaine Jacob

Markets