Hong Kong cuts interest rate but major banks keep lending rates steady

HONG KONG, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's de-facto central bank lowered on Thursday its base interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.0%, in line with a cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve, but major lenders declined to pass on the reduction to customers.

Hong Kong's monetary policy moves in lock-step with the United States as the city's currency is pegged to the greenback in a tight range of 7.75-7.85 per dollar.

It was the third easing by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) this year and followed a similar cut late in October.

After the cut announced on Thursday, HSBC (HSBC) and Bank of China (Hong Kong) said they would maintain their best lending rates in Hong Kong at 5%. Standard Chartered Bank (SCBFF) said it would keep its Hong Kong dollar best lending rate unchanged at 5.25%. All three lenders kept their savings rates unchanged.

The banks did not provide reasons, but HKMA CEO Eddie Yue told reporters that lenders would take into consideration factors including interbank rates and the cost of capital when making decisions on interest rates.

"Many banks had mentioned in their rate cut last time that the current savings rates are getting close to zero," Yue said.

The Federal Reserve lowered the benchmark policy rate by a quarter of a percentage point in a widely expected move, but indicated it would likely pause its easing cycle at the next policy meeting in January.

"An interest rate cut always has a positive impact on the economy and housing market," Yue said.

"However, the pace of future rate cuts remains quite uncertain, which may influence the interest rate environment in Hong Kong," he added, urging the public to carefully manage interest rate risks when making financial decisions. (Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Leslie Adler, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Jamie Freed)