RBI status quo on repo rate in policy: Tightrope walk ahead, say experts

Chief Economist of Yes Bank Shubhada Rao said, "Cut inflation forecast is sizeable, and is being done for what's seem as peak period."

rbi, urjit patel, viral acharya — Viral V Acharya, Deputy Governors RBI and Urjit Patel, Governor, RBI during a press conference announcing the RBI monetary policy in Mumbai on Wednesday - Kamlesh Pednekar

Last Updated : Apr 05 2018 | 5:02 PM IST

The Reserve Bank of India kept its policy repo rate unchanged at 6 per cent on Thursday, for a fourth straight time.

A central bank survey projected real GDP growth at 7.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2017-18 and 7.2 per cent for the rest of the financial year.

YES Bank Chief Economist Shubhada Rao said, "The cut in inflation forecast is sizeable, and it is being done for what seems a peak period," Bloomberg reported. The new inflation forecast presents very limited case for rate hike, she added.

Anshula Kant, Deputy MD & CFO, State Bank of India, said "SBI was prepared for Ind-AS norms. The bank wanted implementation from April 1."

Deputy Governor of RBI, NS Vishwanathan, said, "We have asked government to amend Schedule of Banking Regulation Act. Many Banks are not ready to move to Ind-AS.

Rahul sharma, senior research analyst, Equity99, said "Policy maker will be careful of not stifling growth at the early stages of recovery."

"RBI would have to do a tightrope walk as globally interest rates are inching upwards. The next cut would be dependent on clarity of monsoon, sustainability of crude oil prices and global financial conditions," he added.

Teresa John, economist of Nirmal Bang Equities pvt ltd, added "The MPC statement was more dovish than expected, particularly the cut in inflation forecasts. Nevertheless, the policy statement highlights upside risks to inflation. We expect inflation to be slightly higher than the RBI's forecast by around 50bp, and therefore continue to expect one 25bp rate hike in FY19."

Indranil Pan of IDFC Bank said "No change was expected as also neutrality is maintained.The inflation outlook has been reduced a bit, but the confidence of it dipping below 4 percent seems absent. On the other side, they have also maintained the upside risks to inflation. Thus, given the current projected path in inflation, there is limited chance for RBI to react either ways."

"We maintain our expectations of RBI staying on hold for an expected period and through FY19," he added