India central bank to focus on growth

The Reserve Bank of India is unlikely to react yet to multi-month high retail prices as economic recovery remains its prime focus amid the deadly second wave of the pandemic, according to two senior sources aware of the central bank's thinking.

The annual retail inflation rate rose 6.30 per cent year-on-year in May, up from 4.29 per cent in April and sharply above analysts' estimate of 5.30 per cent. The wholesale price inflation rate rose 12.94 per cent, its highest in at least two decades.

"There is a broad-based increase in CPI inflation but it still is not driven by demand and that gives the RBI some leeway. They will continue to wait and watch as a rate hike is out of question for now," the first source said.

India's economy grew 1.6 per cent in the March quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, but that was before a massive second wave of infections hit the country which prompted fairly stringent lockdowns across most states causing another round of job losses and a significant dent to demand.

Asia's third-largest economy has now reported 29.57 million COVID-19 cases and 377,031 deaths, though some experts believe the actual numbers are far higher.

The central bank earlier this month reiterated its commitment to keeping monetary policy accommodative as long as necessary to revive and sustain growth on a durable basis.

"There is no way RBI can react to inflation at this stage," a second source said.

"The maximum push is coming from margins, from supply disruptions, from cost push pressures ... but if there is demand, (RBI) will have to react. But till now, we don't see evidence of demand pressures," he added.

The RBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At its last policy review, the RBI warned that high energy prices could stoke inflation. It also cut its GDP growth forecast to 9.5 per cent from 10.5 per cent for the current fiscal year.

"CPI inflation at 6.30 per cent is way above the general expectations and falsifies the claim that higher WPI does not imply higher CPI," said Rupa Rege Nitsure, chief economist at L&T Financial Holdings.

India's benchmark 10year bond yield rose to an over six-week high of 6.04 per cent following the CPI data as traders worry the RBI will need to react to inflation.