Zambia leaves benchmark lending rate steady at 12.5 pct

Zambia's central bank left its benchmark lending rate unchanged on Thursday and said a recent resolution to a mining tax impasse will lessen negative sentiment in the economy and mitigate inflationary pressures. "The committee took into account the recent downward movement in inflation from 7.9 percent in December to 7.2 percent in March 2015, with non-food inflation being the main driver," central bank governor Denny Kalyalya said. "The onset of the crop marketing season in the second quarter i