Australia’s central bank considered pausing its policy tightening cycle this month but decided against it as incoming economic data didn’t yet warrant a change of stance, according to minutes of the Dec. 6 meeting. The Reserve Bank’s board raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point to 3.1% two weeks ago after considering three options –- 25 basis points, 50 or a pause, the minutes released Tuesday in Sydney showed. This is the first time during the RBA’s eight-month tightening cycle that board members put the case for no change on the table. The discussions come as a majority of economists see two more ... (full story)