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RBI MPC Meet: Repo rates unchanged at 6.5%, inflation moderating, albeit slowly

Aug 8, 2024, 10:50 IST
Business Insider India
No rate cut on Thursday MPC meeting, RBI may cut rate in October policy review: ExpertsANI
RBI governor Shaktikanta Das announced no change in prevailing interest rates and maintained the withdrawal of accommodation stance in the ongoing Monetary Policy Review (MPC) meeting, which was held between August 6th and August 8th, 2024. This was the 50th MPC meeting since its inception.
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What is MPC meet?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) held its third bi-monthly MPC meet, which began on August 6th, 2024 and concluded today. Experts were widely of the view that there would be no significant changes in the benchmark repo rate during this MPC meet, and that the MPC would keep it unchanged at 6.5%. This is the ninth time the repo rate has been left unchanged, since it was last increased from 6.25% to 6.5% on 8th February 2023.

MPC includes 6 members, three from RBI, and three external experts. Together, they are responsible for setting the benchmark interest rate, or repo rate. This is the rate at which the central bank of the country i.e. RBI lends to other banks of the country. If it is increased, the same translates into higher borrowing costs for consumers as well.

What was the decision?

MPC decided, by a majority of 4:2 members, that the repo rate will be left unchanged at 6.5%. This was done to align both market expectations and monetary policies. The MPC has decided to focus on maintaining price stability to ensure growth, and that inflation progressively aligns with the target.

Notably, the RBIs inflation target is around 4%, with a tolerance band of about 2%. This target was last met in January 2021, when inflation stood at 4.06%.

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Per the governor, "PMI services stood strong at 60.3 in July, and have been above 60 for seven constitutive months, indicating robust expansion of services. On the demand side, household consumption is supporting a turnaround in rural demand and steady discretionary spending in urban areas is also being observed".

As Das noted, sustained buoyancy in services activity is expected to support urban consumption. Moreover, government's thrust on capex, and signs of pickup in private investment would drive investment activity in the current year.

Taking all these factors into consideration, the real GDP growth for 2024-25 has been projected at 7.2% . This is distributed as 7% in Q1, 7.1% in Q2, 7.2% in Q3 and 7.3% in Q4.

Explaining the moderation of growth projections for the first quarter of the current FY, as compared to information given during previous MPC in June, Das explained that this was primarily due to updated information on certain high frequency indicators which show lower than anticipated results. These include corporate profitability, central government expenditure and core industries output, among others.

As for CPI inflation for current FY, it has been pegged at 4.5%. Accordingly, Q2 projections stand at 4.4%, Q3 at 4.7% and Q4 at 4.3%. CPI inflation for the first quarter of next financial year i.e. Q1FY26 is projected at 4.4%.

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Is high food inflation a key concern?

In June 2024, food inflation surged, pushing overall CPI (consumer price index) inflation to 5.1% during the month, from 4.8% in May. It may be noted that food inflation forms a significant part of CPI. That is why, even with a supportive base effect from the previous year, food inflation jumped to 9.4%, driven mostly by high vegetable prices, which have remained in double digits for eight months.

"The inflation trajectory has been moderating, and we do expect it to moderate, but the pace of modulation has been uneven and slow. So, we need to be watchful to ensure that we move closer to target, and CPI inflation gets aligned to the target on a durable basis", continued Das.

Some segments of personal loans are excessively leveraged, notes Das

Going ahead, there will be a public repository of digital lending apps deployed by the regulator. This comes amidst a spike in number of unauthorised lending apps, and certain segments of personal loans witnessing excess leverage through retail loans, most of which are for consumption purposes, the governor noted.

Additionally, the current UPI transaction limit for tax payments is being enhanced from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 5,00,000 per transaction. Also, the clearance cycle is also being shortened and made almost continuous, with cheques being cleared on the same day, within just a few hours of being presented, benefiting all stakeholders.

What are the experts saying?

Says Anuj Puri, Chairman - ANAROCK Group, "The RBI's decision to keep repo rates unchanged at 6.5% for ninth consecutive time aligns well with yesterday's announcement on indexation benefits. It sets a positive tone for the housing industry. Maintaining interest rates offers consistency in borrowing costs, which will prompt more aspiring homebuyers to consider taking the plunge - and thus drive demand in the housing market. With interest rates staying steady, EMIs will remain manageable for current and potential homeowners, potentially leading to increased home sales - particularly in the price-sensitive affordable segment".

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When is the next MPC scheduled?

The upcoming RBI MPC meets are scheduled to take place between October 7th and 9th, December 4th an 6th, 2024, and February 5th and 7th, 2025.

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