Chile central bank saw holding rate as only option in June amid uncertainty, minutes show

SANTIAGO, June 24 (Reuters) - Policymakers at Chile's central bank considered maintaining the rate unchanged as the only option at their June meeting as global uncertainty remains greater than usual, the meeting minutes showed on Wednesday. The bank's board unanimously decided to hold borrowing costs at 4.5%, and "board members considered that the only plausible option," the bank said. -- Board members said that macroeconomic uncertainty remains while the inflation outlook showed no notable changes as expectations two years ahead are still near the 3% target, according to the minutes. -- They added that it is necessary to wait for more evidence of a consolidation of the process in the Middle East before determining its implications for the economy. -- "The announced agreement between the U.S. and Iran was good news because it reduced the risks of more extreme scenarios for the oil price," board members said. -- But they warned about the need to monitor how subsequent negotiations and global oil supply normalization would unfold. (Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Natalia Ramos; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Mark Porter)