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Under the provision cited by the RBI for the meeting, the central bank is required to write a letter to the Indian government explaining its inability to meet the target. A source familiar with the matter confirmed that the meeting has been called to discuss the response to be sent to the government. The MPC, established in 2016, is mandated to keep inflation within 2 percentage points on either side of its 4% target. Reuters GraphicsThe central bank has cited a series of supply shocks, most recently due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as one of the reasons for missing the inflation target. Reuters reported the government was comfortable with the central bank meeting the target over the medium term.

☆ Russia's VTB Bank opens 'vostro' account at Indian branch
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in UkraineMOSCOW, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Russia's No.2 lender VTB (VTBR.MM) on Wednesday said it had opened a special "vostro" account at its Indian branch that would allow for the more active use of Indian rupees in payments under import and export contracts between Russia and India. It follows a similar move by Russia's dominant lender Sberbank (SBER.MM), which on Monday said it was offering clients "vostro" accounts in rupees, aiming to facilitate clients in carrying out rupee-denominated trade transactions which are increasing due to western sanctions. Both state-run banks have obtained permission to open vostro accounts - which a local correspondent bank holds on behalf of a foreign bank - from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which earlier this year to put in place a mechanism to facilitate international trade in rupees. The measure was seen as aiding business ties with Russia in case of more stringent Western sanctions against Moscow. Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's ICICI Bank net profit jumps 37% as bad loan provisions drop
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Oct 22 (Reuters) - ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS), India's second-largest private-sector lender, reported a 37% rise in quarterly net profit on Saturday as loan growth inched up and provisions for bad loans fell. Net profit for the three-months ending Sept. 30 rose to 75.58 billion rupees ($916 million), broadly in line with analysts' estimate of 73.51 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Net interest income, which is the difference between interest earned and paid out, was 147.9 billion rupees, a rise of 26% on the year-earlier period, the bank said in a statement. Loans increased across segments, including large corporate, although the bank was focusing on higher rated corporate borrowers, it said. The lender is holding adequate liquidity and does not see deposit growth as constraint on the bank's overall growth, said executive director Sandeep Batra.

☆ India's economic growth outlook stagnates, stuck in lower gear
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Vivek Mishra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It was expected to decelerate further to 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to an Oct. 13-19 Reuters poll. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe median expectation was for 6.9% growth in the 2022-23 fiscal year, slightly above International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank projections of 6.8%. While those figures were only trimmed from the previous poll medians, a deteriorating global economic outlook suggests there may be further downgrades in coming months. "This, we believe, will result in the RBI having to shift its focus toward supporting growth and away from anchoring inflation expectations by engineering a growth slowdown." The poll showed the RBI taking a softer approach with rates.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee hits record low on worries of aggressive U.S. rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Anushka Trivedi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

read moreThe partially convertible rupee was trading at 83.16/17 per dollar by 0436 GMT, compared to its close of 83.02 on Wednesday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We can expect the dollar to continue strengthening as long as the Fed maintains its super hawkish stance. read moreTraders said the falling interest rate differential between India and the U.S. could continue to pressure the rupee. Shilan Shah, India economist at Capital Economics, said in a recent note that 50 bps rate hikes may be off-the-table at the RBI's meeting in early December. "We think other MPC members will have seen enough evidence of growth coming off the boil and price pressures peaking.

☆ India cenbank may need to resume bond buying to manage liquidity deficit -BofA
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India's banking system liquidity was already at a deficit of 100 billion Indian rupees ($1.21 billion) by this week, with more tax payment related outflows likely. The RBI would need to decide how to maintain money market rates close to policy rates, BofA strategists said. Buying bonds in the open market "would help achieve more than one objective" by injecting liquidity and averting a larger sell-off in bond markets, they added. Like most central banks globally, the RBI had conducted open market operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and stopped in October last year. "The decision on appropriate liquidity surplus or deficit in the system would depend on a few factors, including the monetary policy stance, need to support further credit growth, banking system liquidity skew and currency stability," they said.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares rise 1% as cenbank eases inflation fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Indian shares jumped to three-week highs in early trade on Tuesday, as rate hikes fears were soothed after the country's central bank said inflation looked set to ease and as risk sentiment improved globally on Britain's fiscal policy U-turn. In domestic trading, Nifty's automobile (.NIFTYAUTO), IT (.NIFTYIT), energy (.NIFTYENR) and public sector bank (.NIFTYPSU) indexes climbed more than 1% each. Inflow of funds from domestic investors in equities were strong even as foreign institutional investors sold shares. Foreign investors sold a net of 3.72 billion Indian rupees ($45.3 million) worth of equities on Monday, while domestic investors bought 15.82 billion rupees worth of shares, the National Stock Exchange's provisional data showed. ($1 = 82.1780 Indian rupees)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India cenbank's 2013 playbook to rebuild FX reserves unlikely to work-analysts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Swati Bhat | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterTo defend the rupee, the Reserve Bank of India has dipped into its forex reserves. "It would be important to rebuild FX reserves for sure. Reuters GraphicsUNPROFITABLE SPREADSBack in 2013, the RBI had offered to swap the U.S. dollars banks had raised via foreign currency non-resident (FCNR) deposits or foreign currency funding for rupees at concessional rates. And while reserves at current levels are adequate to cover more than eight months of imports, analysts say a sustained depletion could cause some concern. Bank of Baroda's Sabnavis suggested floating sovereign bonds, like the Resurgent India bonds (RIBs) India Millennium Deposit bonds (IMDs) in the past, to help boost forex reserves.

☆ Rupee ends flat, gives up intraday gains; outlook dim
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The rupee closed at 82.36 per dollar, compared with 82.3500 in the previous session. Still, analysts reckon that the rupee will likely add to its 10.5% decline so far this year. "Until the global turmoil eases out and the trend changes across, pressure on the rupee will remain." The rupee's climb to near 82 earlier in the session was aided by investors' relatively stronger risk appetite. Open interest on USD/INR futures on the NSE fell, likely due to traders taking advantage of the dip to 82 to lock in profits on dollar short positions.

☆ India should pause rate hikes as growth fears loom - MPC's Varma
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Swati Bhat | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MUMBAI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - India's central bank should pause interest rate hikes, despite unacceptably high inflation, to avoid stalling a recovery in economic growth, monetary policy committee member Jayant Varma told Reuters on Monday. Varma, in his written MPC minutes, had said the country's economic growth outlook is "very fragile" and warned it could be "dangerous" to push the policy rate much higher. Varma said he would prefer the repo rate being held close to 6% for several quarters until inflation is stamped out. In his minutes, Varma had warned against using monetary policy to manage the fall in the currency, saying the external sector should be managed by other instruments. Further, raising the repo rate to ensure the interest rate differentials remain favourable for India was not a part of the MPC's mandate, particularly when there was lower risk of it causing imported inflation, he suggested.

☆ India cenbank's FX intervention via forwards may hamper rupee's defence -analysts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) forex intervention through forward dollar sales instead of an on-spot basis may undermine its effort to boost the rupee, analysts said. The central bank has been selling dollars in spot and conducting buy/sell swaps to shift the delivery of dollars to a future date. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA buy/sell swap involves an agreement to buy dollars at the spot date and to sell dollars at a future predetermined rate. The difference between the sell rate and the buy rate is the forward premium. Meanwhile, the fall in premiums also dissuades exporters to sell dollar forward.

☆ India's retail inflation rate likely peaked in September - analysts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Oct 13 (Reuters) - India's consumer price-led inflation is expected to gradually decelerate after September, helped by a fall in commodity prices and easing food inflation, analysts said. India's annual retail inflation accelerated to a five-month high of 7.41% in September from 7% in the previous month, data released on Wednesday showed. Food inflation, which accounts for nearly 40% of the CPI basket, rose 8.60% in September, compared to 7.62% in August. However, helped partially by easing global commodity prices, India's inflation rate should moderate from here, likely reaching "a tad below" the 6% mark by February or March, Morgan Stanley said in a note. Credit Suisse said that the October inflation rate will likely be 1% lower given a higher base, especially for food prices.

☆ Exclusive: India's RBI asks banks to stop building positions in offshore market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Nimesh Vora | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The build-up of positions in this segment of the market is forcing the RBI to spend more reserves to defend the rupee, one of the bankers said. For instance, the USD/INR NDF 1-month rate is currently 7 paisa higher than the corresponding onshore rate and the 3-month forward rate is about 25 paisa higher. To take advantage of this arbitrage, eligible banks could buy spot dollars onshore and pay 1-month premium while selling USD/INR 1-month in the NDF market. Bankers argue that the RBI's curbs on the activity of banks on NDF will not ease pressure on the rupee. Instead, it would lead to offshore rates once again having more influence on the rupee exchange rate.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares fall as rate hike fears surface; Wipro plunges
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Indian shares were lower in early trade on Thursday after data showed the country's retail inflation accelerated to a five-month high in September, stoking fears of further rate hikes by the central bank. The NSE Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) fell 0.19% to 17,090.50 as of 0348 GMT, and the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) declined 0.26% to 57,477.01. The country's annual retail inflation jumped to 7.41% last month, as food prices surged, and it remained above the Reserve Bank of India's target for three quarters. Market participants now await U.S. consumer price data due later in the day. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil and Neha AroraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), established in 2016, is mandated to keep inflation within 2 percentage points on either side of its 4% target. Reuters GraphicsGarima Kapoor, an economist at Elara Capital, said retail inflation was likely to ease to an average of 6% only by January-March. "We expect the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hike policy repo rate by another 40-50 bps this financial year," she said, and higher inflation could mean further rate hikes. Annual retail inflation (INCPIY=ECI) in September was higher than the 7.3% forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, and above 7% the previous month, data released by the National Statistics Office on Wednesday showed. Food inflation, which accounts for nearly 40% of the CPI basket, rose 8.60% in September, compared to 7.62% in August.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares rise as oil prices decline; inflation data eyed
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Indian shares opened higher on Wednesday, as a fall in global oil prices boosted sentiment, while investors awaited domestic retail inflation data and quarterly earnings results from IT firm Wipro later in the day. India, the world's third-biggest importer and consumer of oil, benefits from a fall in prices as it brings down imported inflation. On Tuesday, both the indexes had closed at a one-week low - marking their third straight session of losses - on the back of risk aversion globally. Markets also awaited U.S. inflation data on Thursday that kept investors on edge. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Neha AroraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India inflation likely hit five month high in Sept on food prices: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Arsh Tushar Mogre | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Oct. 3-7 Reuters poll of 47 economists suggested inflation - as measured by the Consumer Price Index (INCPIY=ECI) - rose to an annual 7.30% in September from 7.00% the previous month. Some 91% of economists, 43 of 47, expected inflation to be 7.00% or higher, suggesting the bias was for prices to go up further. "There is a strong pressure from food that is playing out," said Dharmakirti Joshi, chief economist at Crisil. The Indian government has introduced measures to calm local prices, including some export restrictions on rice to temper inflation. But consumer prices have remained defiant and stayed above the RBI's upper tolerance limit this year.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares extend fall as autos weigh
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Rama Venkat | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Indian shares fell for a third session on Tuesday, with automobile stocks leading losses, as risk-averse trades take hold of financial markets globally. The NSE Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) fell 0.55% to 17,146 as of 0510 GMT, and the S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) was down 0.51% to 57,692.61. read moreIn domestic trading, the Nifty's automobile index (.NIFTYAUTO) and the energy index (.NIFTYENR) fell 0.98% and 0.69%, respectively. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS.NS) posted its biggest intraday pct fall in more than three weeks, weighing on the Nifty IT index (.NIFTYIT) which was down 0.75%. "We have seen the worst of inflation getting over so don't see much of a domestic inflation scare as of now."

☆ India Needs More Than Reserves to Fight the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The rupee has been hard hit this year, putting the Reserve Bank of India in an unenviable position. Throwing money at the problem might not work for India anymore. In its battle against a strengthening dollar, the Indian central bank might have to accept there is little it can do to control the slide of the Indian rupee, which is now trading near a record low of around 82 to the dollar. As a result of aggressive intervention by the Reserve Bank of India in recent months, India’s foreign-exchange reserves had dipped to $551 billion by early September, down from $633.6 billion at the end of 2021.

MUMBAI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee is expected to open higher against the U.S. currency, after the Bank of England's decision to buy long-dated British bonds prompted a pullback in Treasury yields and the dollar index. The rupee is seen at around 81.60-81.65 per dollar in early trades, up from a record closing low of 81.94 on Wednesday. The dollar index tumbled on Wednesday, Treasury yields fell sharply and U.S. equities recovered after the BoE took measures to stop the rout in the U.K. bond market. The dollar index fell the most in more than two years on Wednesday, as risk aversion eased. The 10-year Treasury yield dropped to near 3.70%.

☆ India's massive card security deadline unlikely to be extended
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Nupur Anand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MUMBAI, Sept 28 (Reuters) - India's central bank is unlikely to extend a Friday deadline for businesses to set up an additional layer of security for consumers' credit card data even after some concerns remain over payments failing and revenue losses, say bankers and merchants. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did not respond to an email request for comment. Three years ago, India embarked on a mammoth exercise to secure card data by requiring businesses to tokenise cards by Sept. 30. Merchant associations have also reached out to the central bank to see if they can be given more time. Fraud concerning card or internet transactions have been on a rise and made up 34.6% of total number of fraud cases in FY21, according to central bank data.

Index investors tend to favour international settlement platforms such as Euroclear but India has said it wants to settle bonds onshore, like China. GLOBAL AMBITIONIndia has sought to be included in global bond indexes since 2013, but that ambition has been held up by a number of factors over the years, and JP Morgan only began considering India's inclusion in its global bond index in 2021. If successful, India would be the last major emerging market to be added to the JP Morgan index. Its inclusion could result in additional flows of as much as $30 billion within 10 months into the Indian government bond market, Morgan Stanley estimated earlier this month. Most of JPMorgan's index investors are in favour of including India in the index, but think issues such as investor verification and settlement rules need to be ironed out first, three of the sources said.

☆ RBI may need to reload reserves as Indian rupee falls further, HDFC Bank economist says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) logo is seen at the gate of its office in New Delhi, India, November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain/MUMBAI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India may need to find ways to replenish its foreign exchange reserves such as encouraging non-resident Indians to deposit more funds, as it looks to stabilise a depreciating rupee, HDFC Bank Chief Economist Abheek Barua said. read more"The central bank should intervene to ensure that a falling currency does not eclipse India's fundamentals," Barua wrote in a note this week. According to Barua, the central bank may need to think of ways to bulk up its forex reserves, should the pool shrink to near $500 billion in the coming months. "More capital is needed at this stage to stabilise the rupee and enable the RBI to replenish its reserves chest," he said.

☆ Nikkei, Kospi fall 2%; Asia-Pacific markets drop as negative sentiment remains
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Abigail Ng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. Shares in the Asia-Pacific fell sharply on Monday as negative sentiment continues to weigh in on markets. The Nikkei 225 in Japan dropped 2.19% in early trade, and the Topix slipped 2%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 1.19% lower. Onewo, a subsidiary of property developer China Vanke, is set to debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange this week as well.

☆ INDIA STOCKS Indian shares fall over 1% on global growth fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA man stands in front of a screen displaying news of markets updates inside the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, January, 3, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/BENGALURU, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Indian shares fell on Monday in broadbased selling, tracking Asian peers, as investors shunned equities on renewed worries over economic growth in the face of a high-interest rate environment. The sterling slumped to a record low on Monday as investors piled in to dollars and out of almost everything else, spooked by the prospect of high interest rates and poor growth ahead. Last week, the United States and half a dozen other countries raised interest rates. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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