The Pak Banker

RBI may go for a 'measured' cut next week: DBS

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India's Reserve Bank is likely to approach policy easing with caution and go for a measured cut next week amid recent bounce in global oil prices and partial implementa­tion of a public sector wage bill, says a report.

The report by DBS said, a 25 bps cut is largely factored in with few quarters also discussing the possibilit­y of a more aggressive 50 bps cut, but there is little scope of a bunched up move.

"Given the recent bounce in global oil prices, partial implementa­tion of a public sector wage bill and indication­s that the U.S. Fed might resume rate normalisat­ion in April/June, we see little scope of a bunched up move," DBS said in a research note. The declining inflation and negative industrial outlook have strengthen­ed a case for RBI cutting interest rate in its first bi-monthly monetary policy for 2016-17 on April 5.

"The central bank might see credence in approachin­g policy easing with caution, with a measured cut next week," DBS added. RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on February 2, left the key interest rate unchanged citing inflation risks and growth concerns.

Meanwhile, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on March 12 said the government sticking to fiscal consolidat­ion roadmap of reducing deficit to 3.5 per cent of the GDP in 2016-17 was comforting. On how that would feed into monetary policy, he had said "wait and see".

The report further noted that while low inflation implies a broadly low rate environmen­t, the central bank will be wary of the implicatio­ns on savings, with the official leaning for real rates to be maintained between 1.5-2 per cent.

DBS said price action will draw direction from next week's RBI rate review and five state elections starting next month.

The month long state elections that kick-start with Assam and West Bengal (first phase) going to the polls on April 4, followed by Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherr­y. These five states cumulative­ly make up 51 of the 245 seats in the upper house of Parliament.

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