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The government on Tuesday left interest rates unchanged for various small savings schemes, including PPF and NSC, for the seventh straight quarter beginning October 1, 2025. "The rates of interest on various Small Savings Schemes for the third quarter of FY 2025-26, starting from 1st October, 2025 and ending on 31st December, 2025 shall remain unchanged from those notified for the second quarter (1st July, 2025 to 30th September, 2025) of FY 2025-26," the finance ministry said in a notification. As per the notification, deposits under the Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme will attract an interest rate of 8.2 per cent, while the rate on a three-year term deposit remains at 7.1 per cent prevailing in the current quarter. The interest rates for popular Public Provident Fund (PPF) and post office savings deposit schemes, too, have been retained at 7.1 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively. The interest rate on the Kisan Vikas Patra will be 7.5 per cent, and the investments will mature in 115 ..
A SBI study released on Monday stated that there is merit and rationale for the Reserve Bank to reduce the key benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points in the forthcoming monetary policy, as retail inflation is expected to remain benign even in the next financial year. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has already reduced the repo rate by 100 basis points since February, amidst declining consumer price index (CPI) based inflation. After reducing the repo rate three times in a row, the RBI hit a pause button in August. The Reserve Bank Governor-headed Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which decides on the interest rate, is scheduled to meet on September 29 for a three-day deliberation. The decision will be announced on October 1. "There is merit and rationale in going for a September rate cut...This will but require calibrated communication by the RBI as post June, the bar for rate cut is indeed higher," said 'Prelude to MPC Meeting', the research report from the State Bank of India's
With the Federal Reserve widely expected Wednesday to reduce its key interest rate by a quarter-point to about 4.1 per cent, economists and Wall Street investors will be looking for signals about next steps: How deeply might the Fed cut in the next few months? There are typically two different approaches the central bank takes to lowering borrowing costs: Either a measured pace that reflects a modest adjustment to its key rate, or a much more rapid set of cuts as the economy deteriorates in an often-doomed effort to stave off recession. For now, most economists expect it will take the first approach: What many analysts call a recalibration of rates to keep the economy growing and businesses hiring. Under this view, the Fed would reduce rates as many as five times by the middle of next year, bringing its rate closer to a level that neither stimulates or slows the economy. Wall Street traders expect three reductions this year and then two more by next June, according to futures pricin
Gold prices, which scaled record highs in the domestic market last week, are likely to face a crucial test in the coming days with investors watching US macroeconomic data and geopolitical tensions for cues on the trajectory of the precious metal, analysts said. Upcoming US employment data, purchasing managers' index (PMI) readings from major economies, and speeches of several Federal Reserve officials will also be watched, they said. "In the week ahead, focus will be on the manufacturing/services PMI data from across regions and the US employment data. Festive demand in India and uncertainty over the Russia-Ukraine peace deal as well as straining India-US relations, will also drive market sentiment," Pranav Mer, Vice President, EBG -- Commodity & Currency Research, JM Financial Services, said. On Friday, the most-traded gold futures for October contract soared to an all-time high of Rs 1,04,090 per 10 grams on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) before settling near record ...
The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations has sought the Reserve Bank of India's intervention against alleged delays by private banks in transmission of the interest rate cuts to automobile buyers. In a letter to RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) also called for a review of private banks' repo-rate pass-through lags in the auto-loan portfolio and issue corrective directives to ensure uniform 100 per cent transmission to auto borrowers. "Under your leadership, the RBI has delivered the fastest series of policy-rate reductions in its history, a clear positive signal for the economy. Yet, this benefit is not fully visible in the auto-retail sector. While public-sector banks pass on repo-rate cuts to auto borrowers immediately, many private banks delay transmission on the pretext of internal cost-of-funds assessments," FADA Vice President Sai Giridhar said. In order to ensure that private banks also transmit the benefit of the
Realtors' body NAREDCO president G Hari Babu on Friday demanded that interest on home loans should come down to around 6 per cent to boost sales that have fallen during the first six months of this year across the top seven cities. He attributed the fall in housing sales to excess supply, sharp rises in prices of residential properties and global economic uncertainties. Real estate data analytics firm PropEquity has reported a 19 per cent drop in sales during the current April-June period and a 23 per cent fall in the preceding quarter across 9 major cities. Property consultant Anarock has estimated a 20 per cent fall in the latest June quarter in the top 7 cities. When asked about the reason for this fall, Hari Babu said, "Housing prices have increased significantly in the last three years, affecting the affordability of prospective customers." Salaries have not increased so much that it can match the appreciation in the housing prices, Hari Babu said on the sidelines of a confere