Australia central bank keeps rates on hold

Australia's central bank held interest rates at a record low of 1.50 percent Tuesday but soft inflation and growth figures kept the door open for future cuts. The Reserve Bank of Australia slashed rates 300 basis points between November 2011 and August last year to support non-resources industries as the economy transitions out of a mining investment boom. After its first meeting this year, the RBA's governor Philip Lowe said "the board judged that holding the stance of policy unchanged at this