Most members of the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) expressed concerns about inflation becoming generalised and highlighted uncertainties surrounding both inflation and growth prospects due to the West Asia conflict, according to the recently released minutes.
Key lending rate (repo) raised by 50 basis points to 4.9 per cent; 2nd increase in 5 weeks
US Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh has picked former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, Harvard University economics Professor Raj Chetty and Microsoft XBOX CEO Asha Sharma to be part of task forces constituted to examine the central bank's approach to monetary policy and propose transformational changes.
The Reserve Bank on Tuesday said the soft monetary policy adopted by it to counter the impact of the global financial meltdown on the country will continue till the economic recovery is secured.
Major laggards among Sensex constituents included Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Steel and ITC. Power Grid, UltraTech Cement, NTPC and Titan emerged as winners.
New dates to be announced shortly, the RBI said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) maintained its key policy rates for the fourth consecutive time, keeping the repo rate at 5.25 per cent, while the benchmark BSE Sensex closed 152 points higher in a volatile session, recovering from an intraday dip.
The Indian stock market is poised for a volatile week, influenced by the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy decision, crucial global macroeconomic data, and the escalating geopolitical tensions in West Asia, according to market analysts.
Indian stock market benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty, saw gains in early trading, driven by anticipation surrounding the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy decision, despite mixed global cues and significant FII outflows.
After four consecutive months of withdrawals, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) injected Rs 20,200 crore into Indian equities in July, driven by attractive valuations, improving corporate earnings, and a more favourable global environment.
However, he maintains, that even global factors too are responsible.
The tenure of the committee will be for two years up to June 30, 2011, the central bank said. The panel will review the monetary developments in the country keeping in mind the macroeconomic scenario and will advise the banking regulator on the stance of monetary policy due on July 28.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, closed higher, primarily driven by bank stocks and encouraging US inflation data, which fuelled expectations of a less aggressive Federal Reserve monetary policy. However, escalating US-Iran hostilities tempered investor sentiment, leading to some profit-taking.
Subbarao's annual statement will be of unusual interest this year
These are the highlights of the seventh bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2019-20 by the RBI amid COVID-19 pandemic:
Food inflation has touched a 10-year-high of 19.95 per cent and the inflation rate based on the Wholesale Price Index, which was estimated at 4.78 per cent, is expected to cross 6 per cent by the end of the month.
Gold and silver are expected to remain volatile with a corrective bias as investors assess the latest flare-up in the US-Iran conflict, movements in crude oil prices, and inflation data, which could reshape expectations for global interest rates, according to analysts.
'The MPC is likely to prioritise the key mandate, which is inflation, while relying on other instruments to stabilise the currency and bond markets.'
The central bank kept cash reserve ratio unchanged at 4 per cent.
Highlights of RBI's third quarter review of monetary policy.
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday said it will come out with its annual monetary policy for the next fiscal on April 20, amid expectations that the central bank will hike interest rates to tame the rising inflation
Inflows from Europe, falling crude oil to come to the rescue if rupee cracks against the dollar.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept its key lending rate, the repo rate, unchanged at 5.25 per cent for the second consecutive time, citing concerns over rising energy prices, supply disruptions from the West Asia crisis, and potential inflationary pressures.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, saw early gains driven by lower crude oil prices and buying in Reliance Industries, even as the Reserve Bank of India maintained its benchmark policy rate for the fourth consecutive meeting, reinforcing confidence in the domestic economy.
The chances of ending the current fiscal year at anywhere near the 5.5 per cent that RBI officially targets seem bleak indeed.
Legendary economist and former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has died at the age of 100 due to complications related to Parkinson's disease, his wife Andrea Mitchell confirmed.
Reducing policy rates is not enough. The key is to ensure banks lend to credit-constrained borrowers.
S&P Global Ratings projects India's economic growth to slow to 6.6 per cent in FY27, down from 7.7 per cent in FY26, citing energy stress and a potential sub-par monsoon.
Next bi-monthly policy statement on September 30.
While the RBI, in the recent past, appeared keen to move to an inflation-targeting framework, industry and academia remain divided on this issue.
The Lok Sabha elections in 2024 are not a consideration when it comes to monetary policymaking, said Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das to underscore the central bank's commitment to controlling inflation. "It's not possible for me to comment what we do in the next MPC (Monetary Policy Committee), but one thing I can tell and I would like to make it very clear-that the fact of elections coming up in 2024 is not a factor at all so far as monetary policymaking is concerned. "Monetary policymaking is for checking (and) controlling inflation," Das said at the Business Standard, BFSI Insight Summit.
Short-term lending rate unchanged at 7.75 pc.
This time the all-powerful interest-rate setting panel, whose constitution was notified by the government on Thursday, will take call on interest rate. But that's not the only change. The Reserve Bank of India has also decided to change the timing of announcement of its policy review, due next Tuesday, to mid-afternoon.
The central bank raised statutory liquidity ratio, the portion of deposits that banks are required to keep in government securities, by 100 basis points to 25 per cent. Other key rates were unchanged.
From the Sensex pack, Power Grid, Mahindra & Mahindra, JSW Steel, HCL Technologies, Sun Pharma, Nestle, IndusInd Bank, Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel and ITC were the major laggards. Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Bajaj Finance, State Bank of India, Bajaj Finserv, Axis Bank, Titan and ICICI Bank were among the major gainers.
The apex bank hiked its repo, reverse repo (overnight lending and borrowing rates) to 5.25 per cent and 3.75 per cent, respectively, while the cash reserve ratio, or the portion of deposits banks park with RBI, to 6 per cent in line with analysts' expectations.
The Indian equity market is set for an event-heavy week, with analysts pointing to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) interest rate decision, developments in the US-Iran situation, and crude oil prices as the primary determinants of market trends.
Amid expectations that the Reserve Bank may keep its monetary stance unchanged, the central bank will come out with its second quarter review of the credit policy for the current fiscal on October 27.
India's banking system liquidity has fallen into a deficit for the first time in nearly three months, prompting the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to inject 1.41 trillion through a seven-day variable rate repo (VRR) auction to ease the temporary tightness.
The Reserve Bank has reduced interest rate by 150 bps since January 2015.