RBI to hold rates in August, expected to cut again later this year: Poll

The Reserve Bank of India will hold its key repo rate at 5.50 per cent next month following a surprisingly bigger-than-expected cut in June, but will lower it again by year-end, according to the latest Reuters poll of economists.

Subdued inflation has allowed policymakers room to cut rates but with the economy expanding at a rapid 7.4 per cent rate in the first three months of this year, the central bank can afford to wait before delivering what is expected to be the last cut in a historically short and shallow cycle.

The central bank shifted to a neutral stance in June suggesting further rate cuts would depend on incoming data about Asia's third-largest economy. 

A highly-anticipated trade deal with the United States, India's largest trading partner, is still being negotiated months after India was hit with a 26 per cent tariff in early April, with a deadline Washington first set for July 9 then August 1.

Around 75 per cent of economists polled, 44 of 57, expect the RBI to keep the repo rate at 5.50 per cent at its August 6 policy meeting. The rest in a July 18-24 Reuters poll predicted a 25-basis point cut.

The majority view for a hold is down slightly from 96 per cent in a snap Reuters poll taken in June after the 50-basis point cut.

A majority of economists expect the RBI to cut rates by 25 basis points by year-end, also a shift from June when most expected rates to be unchanged until at least the end of the fiscal year.

"It's prudent for the MPC to wait and watch on this policy meeting... by August-end we'll get the growth numbers which will give us greater clarity on whether growth is actually slowing," said Kanika Pasricha, chief economic advisor at Union Bank of India. 

"It's important to preserve the limited policy rate ammunition amid heightened global uncertainty... as the impact and transmission of the measures taken so far continue to flow through into the economy - and that's still a work in progress."

Almost half of those polled in both this and the June poll, 15 of 32, lowered their interest rate forecasts for year-end, while the rest left their projections unchanged.

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said last week policymakers would base future rate decisions on the inflation outlook rather than just current readings.

Inflation is forecast to average 3.4 per cent this fiscal year, lower than the central bank's current expectation of 3.7 per cent.

Growth was expected to average 6.4 per cent this fiscal year and 6.7 per cent in the next.