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    Rate cuts could soon be back on MPC table

    Synopsis

    Governor Shaktikanta Das said that the rise in prices is due to supply side shocks caused by lockdowns and restrictions in movements across the country.

    Rate CutAgencies
    The inflation-targeting RBI aims to keep the Consumer Price Index at 4 per cent, with a room to move in a two percentage point band on either side.
    KOLKATA: Expectation of the Reserve Bank of India returning to the interest rate easing cycle sooner gained traction with it saying that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) would focus on economic revival when the transient spikes in inflation dissipate. The regulator projected that inflation would ease closer to the target by March next year.

    Governor Shaktikanta Das said that the rise in prices is due to supply side shocks caused by lockdowns and restrictions in movements across the country. “As supply chains are restored, these wedges should dissipate,” Das said in his policy statement. “The MPC has hence decided to look through the current inflation hump as transient and address the more urgent need to revive growth and mitigate the impact of Covid-19.”

    This has provided the space for continuing with the accommodative stance with forward guidance as set out in the MPC’s resolution.

    “We continue to expect discussion on rate cuts to be back on the table later during the year as inflation prints start softening,” said Siddhartha Sanyal, chief economist at Bandhan Bank.

    The Governor exuded confidence of a quick economic revival despite predicting a 9.5 per cent contraction in GDP in FY21. “Several high frequency indicators are pointing to the easing of contractions in various sectors of the economy and the emergence of impulses of growth,” he said.
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    The forward-looking assessment on growth suggested that the worst was behind the economy, citing the ‘September surprise’ posed by incoming indicators, said Radhika Rao, economist with DBS Bank. “These comments suggest that the policymakers have not yet shut the door on further policy easing,” she said.

    In the September 2020 round of the RBI’s survey, households expect inflation to decline modestly over the next three months. The inflation-targeting RBI aims to keep the Consumer Price Index at 4 per cent, with a room to move in a two percentage point band on either side.



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    (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today.

    Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price

    ...more
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