Tuesday October 7, 2008, 9:45 am SYDNEY, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The Australian dollar held near four-year lows against the U.S. dollar and a five-year trough on the yen on Tuesday ahead of an expected rate cut by the central bank as it seeks to cushion the economy from the credit crisis. * A sharp slide in commodities added to the Aussie's woes, with the LME base metals index down over 5 percent and oil off 6 percent. Australia is a big exporter of natural resources. * Investors expect the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut interest rates by an aggressive 50 basis points to 6.5 percent at its monthly policy meeting later on Tuesday. * The decision will be announced at 2:30 p.m. (0330 GMT) and will follow a 25 basis point cut last month. * Panic selling offshore, sparked by fears the global economy was heading toward recession,...
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