SHANGHAI (Aug 15): China's central bank injected cash through a short-term bond instrument on Thursday and said that it would conduct a medium-term loan rollover later this month.

The People's Bank of China's (PBOC) delivered a series of interest rate reductions last month and the sequence of the cuts showed its framework had changed, market watchers said, shifting the short-term rate to being the main signal guiding markets.

On Thursday, the PBOC said it lent 577.7 billion yuan (US$80.9 billion, or RM359.1 billion) through seven-day reverse bond repurchase agreements at 1.7% in an open market operation, unchanged from previously.

It added that the cash injection was meant to counteract factors including maturing medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans, tax payments and government bond issuance, in order to "keep banking system liquidity reasonably ample," according to an online statement.

While a batch of 401 billion yuan worth of MLF loans is set to expire on Thursday, the PBOC said it would conduct the rollover on Aug 26.

In response to Reuters' request for comment on whether the PBOC would shift the timing of the monthly MLF operation to 25th, the central bank said future arrangements would be "subject to the actual operation time".

"The central bank has informed primary dealers of the arrangement and reminded them to utilise the seven-day reverse repo operation on Thursday, to smooth the liquidity gap between MLF maturing day and rollover," the PBOC told Reuters.

"This would be consistent with the policy direction to gradually fade MLF as a guidance to market rates, so is the change of the MLF date to be after loan prime rate (LPR) decision," said Frances Cheung, head of FX & rates strategy at OCBC Bank.

"The chance remains for replacement of some or all of MLF liquidity with that released from an reserve requirement ratio (RRR) cut, later this month or in September."

China is due to release the monthly fixing of benchmark lending LPR next Tuesday.

Recent economic data, including bank lending figures, showed that domestic demand was weak and more stimulus measures were needed to boost growth in the world's second-largest economy.

PBOC governor Pan Gongsheng said in June that the central bank would revamp its monetary policy transmission channel, adding that the seven-day reverse repo basically serves the function of the main policy rate.

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