Reserve Bank of NZ seen holding rates steady on Aug 10 - Reuters poll

Pedestrians walk near the main entrance to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand located in central Wellington, New Zealand, July 3, 2017. Picture taken July 3, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) is widely expected to keep its cash rate at a record-low 1.75 percent at its monetary policy meeting on Thursday, a Reuters poll of economists found.

All 21 economists forecast the RBNZ would stand pat on August 10 and all 20 who made projections beyond Thursday expect the bank to keep rates on hold until the end of the year.

Nine of 20 economists forecast rate hikes by the second quarter of 2018. One economist forecasts a cut in the third quarter of that year.

Economists were asked what the cash rate would be after the nextReserve Bank meeting on August 10 and where rates would be at the end of the following five quarters.

(Reporting and polling by Tom Westbrook and Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Eric Meijer)