6 mins read . 06 Apr 2023
Ahead of the Monetary Policy announcement by the RBI on 06th April 2023, the RBI found itself in a strange predicament. It had diligently pursued the path of hawkishness for 11 months with 250 bps of rate hikes. However, consumer inflation continued to stay above the 6% mark. On the other hand, the spike in interest rates had compressed net margins of Indian companies in the third quarter and reduced its interest coverage. Clearly, it was time for the RBI to decide whether to persist with rate hikes or take a break.
The stage was simplified by the global banking crisis. In the first 2 weeks of March 2023, SVB Financial and Signature Bank of the US collapsed. It was soon followed by the slump sale of Credit Suisse to UBS. While bad asset decisions were the key reason for the crisis, the collapse was triggered by higher interest rates depleting bond portfolios. That, in itself, was a strong case for the RBI to go slow on rate hikes. That is exactly what it did in the April policy, holding repo rates at 6.5%.
The status quo on rates must be read with the RBI comments and other macro data. Here are some key takeaways.
Let us turn to what will drive higher growth and lower inflation in FY24?
RBI lowered the inflation estimate for FY24 by 10 bps from 5.3% to 5.2%. Amidst a global slowdown, oil prices will remain under pressure. However, core inflation could face the lag impact of input costs. Lower current account deficit has also allowed the RBI to experiment with a pause in rate hikes, since the risk of imported inflation is much lower.
At the same time, RBI has also hiked GDP estimates raised by 10 bps from 6.4% to 6.5%? This is based on better than expected Rabi crop, which will drive higher agricultural output and a resultant consumption boom through rural demand. More importantly, higher rates do not seem to have dented the growth trajectory of the Indian economy.
Will this entail a short pause or a long pause on rates? These are early days, but it would depend on how the global banking crisis shapes. It will also depend on the extent of stress faced by corporate India due to higher interest rates. This may be an experiment, but the RBI is keeping its options open. That is the right thing to do. This policy may mark a shift from the persistent hawkishness of the last one year.
Mutual Fund
6 mins read . 13 Nov 2023
Avoid the pitfalls: why buying low NAV funds is not a strategy
Read moreDemat Account
9 mins read . 10 Nov 2023
Muhurat Trading 2023: A Guide to Auspicious Stock Market Beginnings
Read moreMutual Fund
13 mins read . 06 Nov 2023
Debt and Hybrid Funds performance for October 2023
Read moreShare Market