SHANGHAISINGAPORE, Nov 17 Reuters China is widely expected to leave lending benchmark rates unchanged at a monthly fixing on Monday, after the central bank kept mediumterm interbank rates steady and amid wider concerns about pressure on the yuan.

The loan prime rate LPR normally charged to banks39; best clients is calculated each month after 18 designated commercial banks submit proposed rates to the People39;s Bank of China PBOC.

In a poll of 26 market watchers, all participants predicted both the oneyear LPR and the fiveyear tenor would stay unchanged.

Most new and outstanding loans in the world39;s secondlargest economy are based on the oneyear LPR, which stands at 3.45, while the fiveyear rate influences the pricing of mortgages and is 4.20.

Pressure on some banks39; net interest margins has not been significantly relieved, said Zhou Maohua, analyst at China Everbright Bank.

The changes in LPR are more affected by the MLF rate, Zhou said, expecting the LPR to stay unchanged this month.

Market participants typically see changes in the MLF as a precursor to changes in the LPR.

The PBOC on Wednesday injected 1.45 trillion yuan 200.12 billion worth of oneyear MLF loans into the banking system but kept the rates on those loans unchanged.

The size of the liquidity injection exceeded market expectations and resulted in a net 600 billion yuan of cash injection into the banking system, the biggest monthly increase since December 2016.

Expectations of steady LPR…