Kazakhstan’s central bank expects inflation to slow in 2018 to below the lower boundary of its 5-7% target range, it said on Monday, increasing the possibility of a cut to interest rates next week, Reuters reported. “There is a high likelihood of a significant slowdown in inflation and it going below the lower boundary of the target corridor of 5-7% for 2018,” the central bank said in a statement. The regulator will review its policy rate, currently 9.5%, on April 16. It has cut the rate twice this year by a total of 75 basis points. Annual inflation in the oil-rich Central Asian nation accelerated to 6.6% in March from 6.5% in February. But the central bank said it could slow later this year because of low inflation in countries with which Kazakhstan trades, weak domestic consumption and low global food prices.
