The RBI left interest rates unchanged but cut the cash reserve ratio for banks and indicated it may ease monetary policy further in the January-March quarter, although inflation remains a near-term concern.
The Reserve Bank of India held the policy repo rate at 8 percent, and subsequently, the reverse repo rate was left unchanged at 7.00 percent.
The RBI cut the cash reserve ratio, the share of deposits banks must keep with the central bank in cash, by 25 basis points to 4.25 percent.
It also left the minimum requirement for banks' government bond holdings at 23 percent of deposits.
Following is a timeline of changes to the reverse repo rate since February 2001.
* RATE (percent) EFFECTIVE DATE (day-month-year)
7.00 17-04-2012
7.50 25-11-2011
7.25 16-09-2011
7.00 26-07-2011
6.50 16-06-2011
6.25 03-05-2011
5.75 17-03-2011
5.50 25-01-2011
5.25 02-11-2010
5.00 16-09-2010
4.50 27-07-2010
4.00 02-07-2010
3.75 20-04-2010
3.50 19-03-2010
3.25 21-04-2009
3.50 04-03-2009
4.00 02-01-2009
5.00 08-12-2008
6.00 25-07-2006
5.75 08-06-2006
5.50 24-01-2006
5.25 26-10-2005
5.00 29-04-2005
4.75 27-10-2004
4.50 25-08-2003
5.00 03-03-2003
5.50 30-10-2002
5.75 27-06-2002
6.00 05-03-2002
6.50 28-05-2001
6.75 27-04-2001
7.00 02-03-2001
7.50 20-02-2001
* Note: Prior to October 29, 2004, the reverse repo rate was known as the repo rate. For further details, please see central bank's website: www.rbi.org.in.
