Bank of Korea surprises with 25 basis point rate cut

Reuters

Published Jul 17, 2019 09:21PM ET

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank unexpectedly cut its policy interest rate for the first time in three years on Thursday, as uncertainties from a trade dispute with Japan add to growing concerns over the economy's outlook.

The Bank of Korea announced its Monetary Policy Board voted to cut the base rate by 25 basis points to 1.50%, without elaborating, ahead of expectations in a Reuters poll that the board would lower the rate next month..