SHANGHAISINGAPORE, June 19 Reuters China is widely expected to cut key lending benchmarks on Tuesday in the first such easing in 10 months, a Reuters survey showed, as authorities seek to shore up a slowing recovery in the world39;s secondlargest economy.

Recent economic data showed the retail and factory sectors struggling to sustain the momentum seen in the first quarter, raising concerns China39;s postCOVID comeback could ground to a halt this year and trigger massive job losses.

The People39;s Bank of China PBOC lowered short and mediumterm policy rates last week, signalling it is about to embark on another round of loosening in monetary settings in a push to rev up the recovery.

In a poll of 32 market watchers, all participants predicted cuts to both the oneyear loan prime rate LPR and the fiveyear tenor .

Twentyone, or nearly 66, of all respondents expected the oneyear LPR on which most new and outstanding loans are based to be cut by 10 basis points to 3.55 from 3.65. Others projected the cut to range from five to 15 bps.

Meanwhile, 16, or half, of the analysts and traders surveyed by Reuters, said they forecast a deeper cut of at least 15 bps to the fiveyear LPR, which serves as mortgage reference rate, to stimulate housing demand and prop up the property sector. Another 14 respondents predicted the fiveyear tenor to be cut by 10 bps to 4.2 from 4.3 currently.

China last cut both LPRs in August 2022.

Traditionally, cuts to the mediumterm lending facility…