RBI may go for 25 bps repo rate cut on Wednesday on slow inflation rate, weak economic activity: DBS

Singapore: The Reserve Bank of India is expected to cut key policy rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday taking the benchmark repo rate to 5.50 percent, says a DBS report. According to DBS, monetary policy easing will have to continue with sub-target inflation on hand. Moreover, soft numbers (auto, cement sales, production, PMIs, construction sector) underscores weak economic activity. “Consensus expects the Reserve Bank of India to lower its repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50 percent at its monetary policy meeting on 7 August,” DBS said in a research report. [caption id=“attachment_5129811” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet during 5 to 7 August, 2019 for the Third Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2019-20. In its June policy review, while reducing the rate for the third time in a row, the RBI had signalled more easing as it looked to support an economy growing at the slowest pace since the BJP first came to power in 2014. India’s economic growth rate slowed to a five-year low of 5.8 percent in the January-March quarter of 2018-19, due to poor performance in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. As per the Central Statistics Office (CSO), GDP growth during 2018-19 fiscal stood at 6.8 percent, lower than 7.2 percent in the previous financial year. According to DBS, RBI Governor’s recent comments that policy stance will depend on incoming data, nudged traders to pare easing expectations. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had said that three rate cuts in 2019 accompanied by a change in policy stance could be cumulatively considered as a 100 bps worth reduction in the policy rate, with the transmission of these cuts likely to be the next priority.