Romania Holds Rates as Inflation Near 10% Prevents Easing Debate

Romania’s central bank maintained one of the highest interest rates in the European Union as policymakers wait for inflation to slow from around 10% before they start discussions about lowering borrowing costs.

The National Bank of Romania held the benchmark at 6.5% for an 11th meeting on Monday, matching the estimates of all economists in a Bloomberg survey. The Black Sea nation has held the rate at that level — matched in the EU only by neighboring Hungary — for a year and a half, during which it endured its worst political crisis and a market selloff.