SHANGHAISINGAPORE, Aug 14 Reuters China39;s central bank is expected to keep rates on its mediumterm policy loans unchanged on Tuesday, a Reuters survey showed, despite fresh signs the economic recovery is losing momentum.

Tumbling credit growth and rising deflation risks in July have called for more monetary easing measures to arrest the slowdown, market watchers said, but a weakening Chinese yuan has constrained the central bank39;s efforts to imminently ease policy.

MLF rate cuts are seen as less likely at this juncture given the weakness in the yuan USDRMB is currently attempting to make a fresh yeartodate high, analysts at HSBC said in a note.

In a poll of 26 market watchers conducted this week, 20 participants, or 77, predicted that the central bank would leave the interest rate on its oneyear mediumterm lending facility MLF loans unchanged when it is due to roll over 400 billion yuan 55.11 billion worth of such maturing loans on Tuesday.

The remaining six traders and analysts in the survey all expected a marginal rate reduction.

The People39;s Bank of China PBOC last lowered the rate by 10 basis points to 2.65 in June. Retail sales, industrial output and investment data due on Tuesday will provide more clues on the direction of borrowing costs.

The yuan has lost about 5 to the dollar so far this year to become one of the worst performing Asian currencies.

China remains an outlier among global central banks as it has loosened monetary policy to shore up a…