万众瞩目，央行即将公布

Core Viewpoint - The People's Bank of China is expected to lower the Loan Prime Rate (LPR) on May 20, which has remained unchanged for six months, with the current 1-year LPR at 3.1% and the 5-year LPR at 3.6% [2][3] Impact on Financial Markets - A potential LPR reduction could lower financing costs and boost market confidence, benefiting the stock market and corporate profitability, while possibly leading to a decrease in deposit rates affecting fixed-income products [4][9] - Short-term funding rates may experience fluctuations, with expectations of them stabilizing between 1.4% and 1.6% [10][11] Real Estate Market Implications - Lowering the LPR could reduce mortgage costs for homebuyers, stimulating demand and improving the financial situation of real estate companies, although the effect may take time to materialize due to weak buyer sentiment [4][15] - The current real estate market is still adjusting, with a need for further supportive measures to stabilize prices, and a potential reduction in mortgage rates could be a key strategy [14][19] - Some analysts predict that new mortgage rates could drop to around 2.9% if the LPR is lowered, although certain regions have seen recent increases in mortgage rates [16][18]