© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Two women walk next to the Reserve Bank of Australia headquarters in central Sydney, Australia February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's central bank held interest rates steady on Tuesday as expected, while reiterating the run of coming economic data would determine whether a further hike might be needed at some point.
Wrapping up its December policy meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept rates at a 12-year high of 4.35%, having lifted them by a quarter point the previous month.
Markets had wagered heavily on a steady outcome given inflation had eased a little more than expected in October and the full pain of the RBA's tightening was spreading through the economy. [AU/INT]