The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) may refrain from using the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) as a monetary policy tool, as it is becoming less effective in addressing the structural challenges facing the economy, Bloomberg reports, citing economists from Nomura and Standard Chartered.

The economist at Nomura said: “We do believe the space for RRR cut is quite limited now,” adding that “RRR cuts as a significant tool of monetary easing will be history soon.”

Nomura said: “The ratio will likely become a neutral tool to maintain financial stability after another couple of reductions.”

Meanwhile, an economist at Standard Chartered noted that he “sees the PBOC making more use of its medium-term lending facility, open-market operations and the relending program. In the longer run, the PBOC may need to consider purchasing government bonds to expand the monetary base.”

The PBOC will use the RRR cut sparingly, only when it needs to send a strong easing signal,” Standard Chartered said.