Rate Cuts

State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) on Monday announced a 30-basis-point reduction in its car loan interest rates, effective immediately. The bank's floating rate now starts from 7.6 per cent per annum, BoB said in a statement. The bank also offers an attractive fixed rate of interest on Baroda car loans, starting at 8.5 per cent per annum. The new rate beginning at 7.6 per cent is available on the purchase of a new car and is linked to a borrower's credit profile, it said. In addition to a reduced rate of interest, the bank is also offering borrowers zero prepayment/part-payment charges on floating rate car loans for individual borrowers, it said. Further, the interest on Baroda Car Loans - both fixed and floating loans - is calculated on the daily reducing balance method, making it even more affordable for borrowers, it said. Customers can also benefit from an extended repayment tenure of up to 84 months, providing enhanced financial flexibility, it added.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has already cut rates by 125 basis points since last February, bringing the policy repo rate down to 5.25 per cent

With FY25-26 CPI inflation likely to average at 2.1 per cent Year-on-Year and FY26-27 CPI inflation to still average below the 4.0 per cent target, the question of 'space' is still easy to answer

No signs of overheating in economy; data suggest some slack still persists: DG Gupta

The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate by a quarter-point for the third time in a row on Wednesday but signalled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months. Chair Jerome Powell signalled at a news conference that the Fed would likely hold off on further rate cuts in the coming months while it evaluated the health of the economy. And in a set of quarterly economic projections, Fed officials signalled they expect to lower rates just once next year. Wednesday's cut reduced the rate to about 3.6 per cent, the lowest it has been in nearly three years. Lower rates from the Fed can bring down borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards over time, though market forces can also affect those rates. Fed officials "will carefully evaluate the incoming data," Powell said, adding that the Fed is "well positioned to wait to see how the economy evolves." The chair also said that the Fed's key rate was close to a level that neither restricts nor stimulates the

Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Tuesday met the MD and CEO of public sector banks and select private sector banks here and urged them to pass on the rate cut to support sustainable growth. Since February 2025, the RBI has trimmed the key policy rate by 125 basis points to 5.25 per cent to support growth. India recorded an 8 per cent GDP growth in the first half of the current financial year. During the meeting, the RBI Governor observed that while there has been steady improvement in the health and operations of the banking sector in 2025, banks must avoid complacency and remain vigilant in a dynamic environment, the central bank said in a statement. He noted that the 125 basis points easing, combined with greater use of technology, should translate into lower intermediation costs and higher efficiency, thereby supporting sustainable growth and deeper financial inclusion, it said. Emphasising better customer service, he urged banks to focus on reducing grievances and ...

The rate cut comes at a time when housing sales across the top Indian cities are moderating, with affordability concerns being one of the key factors behind the plateauing

Economists believe that the six-member committee will maintain the status quo on its stance at the December policy meeting

Following weeks of speculation, Britain's unpopular Labour government will deliver its second budget later Wednesday since it returned to power in a landslide election victory in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition. Treasury chief Rachel Reeves, the first woman to hold the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, is set to tell lawmakers that more tax-raising measures are necessary to plug a hole in the public finances. Reeves said much the same at her first budget a little more than a year ago. That budget, she had insisted, would be the one and only big tax-raising budget in this parliamentary term, which is due to run to 2029. Unfortunately for Reeves, the British economy, the world's sixth-largest, is not doing as well as she hoped, with many critics blaming her decision last year to slap taxes on business. Though there were signs that the economy was on the mend in the first half of the year when it was the fastest-growing among the Group of Seven leading industrial nations, it'

Renewed expectations of December rate cuts by the Fed and RBI lifted sentiment, sending the Nifty near a record close and giving indices their strongest single-day rise in five months.

A majority of Federal Reserve policymakers expressed support in late October for further interest rate cuts, though not all committed to making the reduction at their next meeting in December, according to minutes released Wednesday. At the same time, many officials said it would likely be appropriate to keep rates unchanged for the rest of the year," a sign of strong divisions among policymakers about the central bank's next steps. Rate cuts by the Fed, over time, typically lower borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and credit cards. Fed officials are deeply split over the biggest threat to the economy: weak hiring or stubbornly-elevated inflation. If a sluggish job market is the biggest threat, then the Fed would typically cut rates more. But it combats inflation by keeping rates elevated, or even raising them. Chair Jerome Powell had telegraphed the deep divisions among the Fed's 19-member interest-rate setting committee at a news conference following the October 28-29 ...

The Sensex declined up to 0.51 per cent to an intraday low of 84,042.75, while the Nifty50 slipped 0.44 per cent to 25,764.90.

The Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-2 to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.75%-4%

Granted, the Fed's monetary policy doesn't directly determine economic growth. It operates by influencing broader financial conditions, which have eased a lot in the past year

25-bps rate cut by December looks likely, but RBI's neutral stance and global uncertainties mean yields may not fall sharply, says Jain

Spot gold was up 1.4% at $4,264.63 per ounce as of 11:06 a.m. ET (1506 GMT) after bullion touched a record high of $4,270.59 earlier

Analysts forecast private banks to post a year-on-year decline in profit in the September quarter, while net interest income (NII) may see only a marginal uptick

Silver climbed to a record high on Wednesday, latching on to gold's record streak as investors flocked to the metal

Gold prices are expected to remain buoyant in the coming week as a combination of global monetary easing, festive demand in Asia, central bank purchases and persistent geopolitical risks will lend support to the precious metal, analysts said. Traders will closely monitor the upcoming trade negotiations between the US and India, and Washington and Beijing, as well as provisional data on manufacturing and services PMI across regions. In addition, crucial US macroeconomic numbers including housing data, personal consumption expenditures, and consumer sentiment will shape market sentiment, they added. Pranav Mer, Vice President, EBG Commodity & Currency Research at JM Financial Services, said: "The bullion is expected to remain supported by firm festive demand in Asia, while ETFs and central banks continue to remain net buyers. Safe-haven buying remains mixed at current high prices." On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures for October delivery surged Rs 1,616, or 1.5 per .

Stock Market Highlights on September 18, 2025: Among the broader markets, the Nifty Midcap100 and Smallcap100 indices settled with gains of 0.38 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively