China maintains key lending rates despite outsized Fed rate cut

But market watchers believe more stimulus will be rolled out to boost ailing economy

- 

China unexpectedly left benchmark lending rates unchanged at the monthly fixing, confounding market expectations that were primed for a move after the US Federal Reserve delivered an outsized interest rate cut earlier this week.

However, market watchers widely believe further stimulus will be rolled out to prop up an ailing economy, as the Fed's aggressive easing offers Beijing leeway to loosen monetary policy without unduly hurting the renminbi.