China's loan prime rates remain unchanged

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's one-year loan prime rate (LPR), a market-based benchmark lending rate, came in at 3.45 percent Wednesday, unchanged from the previous month.

The over-five-year LPR, on which many lenders base their mortgage rates, also remained unchanged from the previous reading of 4.2 percent, according to the National Interbank Funding Center.

China lowered the one-year rate by 10 basis points to 3.45 percent in August. The over-five-year rate was slashed by 10 basis points to 4.2 percent in June.

The monthly data is a pricing reference for banks that is based on the rates of the central bank's open market operations, especially the medium-term lending facility rate.