RBA leaves rates at 2.5%, signals end of easing cycle.

As expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia has held its key cash rate at 2.5% and it has indicated the end of a two-year easing cycle. "The most prudent course is likely to be a period of stability in interest rates," RBA Governor Glenn Stevens said in a statement. The Australian dollar's decline "will assist in achieving balanced growth," Stevens also said. The S&P/ASX 200 closed -1.75%, although the Aussie was +1.5% at $0.888 at the time of writing.