KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank on Monday cut its key policy interest rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 percent, resuming monetary easing after four consecutive meetings, in a move that surprised markets and came despite International Monetary Fund guidance to maintain an “appropriately tight” policy stance to anchor inflation expectations.

The last reduction in the policy rate came in May. Since then, the benchmark rate has held at 11 per cent.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 percent on Monday, the bank said on its website, breaking a hold on the rate for four…