Russia’s central bank cuts key rate to historic low

Russia's central bank on Friday announced a 1.0-percentage-point cut to its key interest rate, taking it to 4.5 percent, the lowest level in decades, in a bid to revive the economy after a virus shutdown.

A global slump in demand during months of lockdown measures triggered by the coronavirus epidemic led to  "more profound than expected" disinflationary factors, the bank said in a statement.

The bank has abided by a conservative monetary policy for years, targeting four percent inflation, but said Friday that the rate decision was taken because this figure may dip  "significantly" below the target next year.

It said the negative effect of the economic lockdown has been  "more extended" than previously assumed, hitting investment and incomes and increasing unemployment.

"The influence of the weaker ruble and the episodes of increased demand for certain product groups in March has been exhausted," it said.It said further cuts would be considered, based on inflation dynamics, economic activity and domestic and global market risks.

The next bank meeting on monetary policy is scheduled for July 24.

The bank predicted that the contraction of the economy in the second quarter  "could prove more sizeable than expected," after growth of 1.6 percent in the first quarter.

It predicted the GDP for the year 2020 would shrink by four to six percent, and a return to pre-coronavirus levels of economic growth only in 2022.

Central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said she also expected the recovery to take longer than previously forecast, notably due to oil production cuts at least until the end of July that Moscow has agreed with the OPEC cartel.