INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decreased its key repo rate on Wednesday for a 2nd successive time and altered its monetary policy position
signalling space for more cuts ahead, as it seeks to boost the sluggish economy, which is facing further pressure from United States
tariffs.As anticipated, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which includes three RBI and three external members, cut the repo rate by 25
It started decreasing rates with a quarter-point decrease in February, its first cut given that May 2020
The central bank changed its stance to accommodative from neutral.Indian equity markets have actually fallen 4% given that United States
President Donald Trumps tariff statements and economic experts approximated growth in the worlds fifth-largest economy might be hit by 20-40
basis points in the current financial year.The RBI now estimates growth at 6.5%, a little lower than its earlier estimate of 6.7%
It sees inflation at 4% compared to 4.2% earlier.Tariff measures revealed by the United States have actually exacerbated uncertainties but
measuring the effect of this on development is challenging, central bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra said in his statement.Growth is improving
however stays lower than what we aspire for, stated Malhotra, including that the inflation outlook is benign.All 6 MPC members voted to cut
the repo rate.The modification in the policy position implies the MPC is thinking about just two choices, either status quo or a rate cut,
and the position does not directly connect to liquidity conditions, he said.Indias benchmark 10-year bond yield was partially lower at 6.50%
after the announcement, versus 6.51% before the announcement, while the rupee was a little bit down at 86.61 from 86.58 before the decision
The benchmark equity indexes were down around 0.3% each.We note the increasing worldwide chaos and its spillovers to the Indian development
downturn will necessitate the MPC for deeper rate cuts, said Upasna Bhardwaj, chief economic expert at Kotak Mahindra Bank.We see scope for
an additional 75-100 bps of rate cuts in the year ahead depending upon the scale of global slowdown, she said.Source: Reuters-- Agencies
