RBI begins policy review meet; rate cut on cards to boost economy

Mumbai: The RBI on Tuesday began its rate-setting huddle amid widespread expectations that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by Governor Shaktikanta Das would slash benchmark interest rate to revive the sagging economy.

The Governor has already hinted that the benign inflation provides room for further monetary policy easing while space for fiscal space is limited. The government has already announced a series of measures including the steepest cut in corporate tax, the rollback of enhanced surcharge on Foreign Portfolio Investors, among others to jump-start growth which hit a six-year low of 5 per cent during the first quarter of the current fiscal. The six-member MPC is scheduled to announce the fourth bi-monthly monetary policy for 2019-20 on Friday, October 4, after a three-day meeting.

There is no meeting of the panel due to national holiday on October 2, which marks the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The central bank has already slashed the repo rate four times consecutively this year amounting to 110 basis points in aggregate. At its last meeting in August, the MPC reduced the benchmark lending rate by an unusual 35 basis points to 5.40 per cent. The upcoming MPC meeting comes in the backdrop of the RBI's mandate to banks to link their loan products to an external benchmark, like repo rate, for faster transmission of reduction in policy rates to borrowers, from October 1.

Ahead of the meeting, the Das-headed Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) sub-committee took stock of the prevailing macroeconomic situation. Earlier, the RBI Governor had said the government has little fiscal space, giving hopes that the central bank may provide more monetary stimulus to prop up the economy. The government's fiscal space has been squeezed on account of cut in rates of corporate tax as well as lowering of GST rate on various goods. Revenue collection to has been below the Budget estimates. Experts opine that another rate cut is on the cards as the government's hands are tied and the onus of taking initiatives now rests with the central bank. Shanti Ekambaram, President, Consumer Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank, said with inflation still within the RBI's medium-term target of 4 per cent, the MPC has the headroom to cut the repo rate further.

"However, the recent volatility in crude oil prices and the fiscal measures announced by the government will have an impact on inflation in the medium term and the fiscal deficit. Hence, we expect the MPC to be more measured in its response with a rate cut of 20-25 basis points in the October policy," she said. According to NAREDCO president Niranjan Hiranandani, there is an expectation of a further 50 basis points repo rate cut in the backdrop of muted inflation which stands lower than the expected 3.2 per cent. The further reduction of the repo rate will not only bring down the lending rates but also incentivise investment and boost consumption, he said. While economic activities are showing signs of sluggishness, the policymakers are drawing solace from the fact that retail inflation remains in the comfort zone of the central bank.

Retail inflation inched up to 3.21 per cent in August but remained within the RBI's comfort zone. The RBI has been mandated by the government to ensure that inflation remains below 4 per cent, with a deviation of 2 per cent on either side. Experts and industry feel low inflation provides enough headroom for the RBI to further lower the policy rate, especially when the festive season has just started. People make huge purchases during Navratras and Diwali. With liquidity concerns in the NBFC sector almost taken care of, the real estate sector too is hopeful that the RBI will go in for the much-needed rate cut to boost demand for affordable housing.