RBI MPC: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting will meet this week to look into the economic landscape and discuss key interest rates for the coming months. The six-member MPC will meet for three days from December 4-6, 2024, and will be chaired by Governor Shaktikanta Das.
When And Where To Watch
On Friday, the Governor will reveal the final decision regarding the repo rate for banks at 10 AM. This is the fifth meeting of the MPC in the 2024-25 fiscal year (FY25), and the next meeting is scheduled for February 2025.
The announcement from the committee will be streamed live on the RBI’s YouTube, Facebook, and X platforms. You can also tune into ABP Live’s website for the detailed updates and analysis of the MPC meeting.
Notably, the MPC has maintained the status quo on key rates since February 2023. In the previous MPC meeting in October, the authorities kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent and shifted the policy stance to ‘neutral’ from ‘withdrawal of accomodation’. The committee also kept the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate unchanged at 6.25 per cent and Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate same at 6.75 per cent. The banking regulator also maintained its growth projection for the 2024-25 fiscal year (FY25) at 7.2 per cent.
Notably, the retail inflation levels in October hit a 14-month peak of 6.21 per cent, driven by elevated food prices and geopolitical conflicts impacting supply chain. The GDP growth rate for Q2FY25 also hit the lowest in two years at 5.4 per cent, attributed to the weak performance in manufacturing and mining.
Experts anticipate the RBI to keep the same repo rates for now. Prashant Kumar, CEO and founder, Kredit.pe, noted, “While a rate cut may be premature, the RBI's pivot to a neutral stance in October opens the door for growth-supportive measures. Expect the MPC to prioritize liquidity management and potentially signal future easing if inflation continues to cool.”