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Crude oil sustaining above USD 100 per barrel will push the headline inflation above 6 per cent, the upper level of RBI's tolerance band, and trigger rate hikes, a foreign brokerage has said. Economists at HSBC said that consumer price inflation (CPI) will remain below 6 per cent if oil prices average below USD 100 per barrel, as per its modelling. "... Sustained oil above USD100/bbl would push inflation beyond 6 per cent, likely triggering rate hikes," the economists said, adding that we are at "crossroads" as Brent has averaged USD 100 in March. Amid speculation ahead of next Wednesday's monetary policy announcement on whether the RBI uses interest rates to defend the rupee, the report suggested risks of such a move. "An interest-rate defence for the INR can be expensive when the growth drag becomes non-linear and intensifies quickly with higher oil prices," it said. The economists recommended adopting a "neutral" stance on both the monetary and fiscal fronts for now, as the ...