Peru central bank holds benchmark interest rate at 4.75%

Adds details from statement, background in paragraphs 3-7

LIMA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Peru's central bank held its benchmark interest rate at 4.75% on Thursday, in line with forecasts from analysts.

The South American country since September 2023 has gradually eased the key lending rate from a high of 7.75% that it held through the first part of that year.

Peru boasts one of Latin America's lowest benchmark interest rates.

Its inflation rate ended 2024 at 1.97%, within the central bank's target range of around 2%, plus or minus one percentage point. In January, consumer prices edged down 0.09% on a monthly basis, having risen 0.11% in December.

The central bank said in a statement it expects annual inflation to near the lower limit of the target range in the coming months, while core inflation - which strips out volatile food and energy prices - should continue edging down towards the center of the target range.

The decision comes after the central bank trimmed the rate by 25 basis points in early January, a move it said brought the rate into "neutral territory", though it would make future adjustments tracking new data on inflation and its derivatives.

In the statement on Thursday, the central bank noted that globally there continued to be "uncertainty over the impact of trade policies, as with risks derived from international conflicts."