Consumer Price Index

February 4, 2026 11:30 AM

RBI likely to hold rates as three-day MPC meeting begins

The three-day meeting of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) begins today, with the policy decision scheduled to be announced on Friday by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra. The central bank has already cut the key policy repo rate by a cumulative 125 basis points since February last year, bringing it down to 5.25 per cent. However, analysts now expect the RBI to pause further easing as inflation shows signs of firming up. “With the current repo rate at 5.25 per ce...

December 5, 2025 11:34 AM

Rare goldilocks period: RBI Governor points to India’s high economic growth, low inflation phase

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday characterised India's current macroeconomic moment as a "rare goldilocks period", that marks high economic growth and exceptionally low inflation. The RBI reduced the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent, following a unanimous decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at its meeting held from December 3 to 5. The committee cited strong growth indicators and sharply lower inflation as key factors enabling the rate cut. Announcing the ...

December 5, 2025 10:58 AM

RBI Governor revises inflation outlook downward to 2% for FY26, cuts projection by 0.6%

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday revised its inflation outlook for the current financial year, FY26, projecting Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation at 2 per cent—down by 0.6 percentage points from its earlier estimate. The announcement was made by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra while presenting the monetary policy. He said, “Inflation is likely to be softer than what was projected in October, mainly due to the fall in food prices. Considering all these factors, CPI inflation for th...

October 29, 2025 3:01 PM

Uncertain Fed edges toward new rate cut

The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday as policymakers steer the U.S. economy based on limited data that has nevertheless kept concerns about the strength of the job market top of mind. Economists polled by Reuters nearly unanimous in expecting the U.S. central bank to reduce its benchmark policy rate to the 3.75%-4.00% range when its latest two-day meeting concludes. But it’s a decision at least partly based on inertia, not...

October 18, 2025 4:54 PM

CPI for Agricultural and Rural Labourers inches down in September 2025

The All-India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Agricultural and Rural Labourers recorded a marginal decline in September 2025, according to data released by the Labour Bureau under the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Saturday. The CPI for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) slipped by 0.11 points to 136.23, while the index for Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) declined by 0.18 points to 136.42. The Food Index for both categories also registered a fall — by 0.47 points for agricultural labourers and 0.5...

October 14, 2025 2:14 PM

India’s WPI Inflation remains subdued at 0.13% in September

India’s annual rate of inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) eased to 0.13 per cent in September, down from 0.52 per cent in August, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday. The decline was driven largely by falling food and fuel prices. Food prices dropped by 1.38 per cent, supported by higher crop yields and adequate buffer stocks of wheat and rice. Fuel inflation remained in the negative zone at 2.58 per cent, with petrol, diesel, and nat...

October 14, 2025 12:30 PM

India’s CPI inflation declines to 8-year low of 1.54 percent in September

India’s inflation rate based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has declined to an over 8-year low of 1.54 per cent in September this year, compared to the same month of the previous year, as prices of food items and fuels turned cheaper during the month, according to figures released by the Ministry of Statistics on Monday. This is the lowest year-on-year inflation after June 2017, and is also lower than the inflation rate of 2.05 per cent for August. Food inflation continued in the negati...

May 13, 2025 5:06 PM

Retail inflation drops to 3.16% in April 2025, lowest since July 2019

India’s retail inflation eased further in April 2025, marking its lowest level in nearly six years. According to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation stood at 3.16% in April, down from 3.34% in March 2025 and significantly lower than 4.83% recorded in April 2024. This decline of 18 basis points from March makes April’s inflation the lowest year-on-year reading since July 2019. The fall in ov...

April 9, 2025 2:30 PM

RBI cuts inflation forecast to 4% for FY26 on improved food outlook

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised its inflation forecast for 2025-26 to 4.0%, down from 4.2%, citing a significant improvement in the food inflation outlook, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Wednesday. “Headline inflation moderated in January-February 2025 following a sharp correction in food inflation,” Malhotra stated, adding that uncertainties around Rabi crops have eased. Second advance estimates point to record wheat and higher pulse production, which, along with robust K...

January 28, 2025 2:46 PM

RBI may begin rate easing cycle with 25 bps cut, add durable liquidity: Morgan Stanley

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to begin its rate easing cycle with a 25-basis point cut in interest rates at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting scheduled for February 7, Morgan Stanley said on Tuesday, adding that the central bank is likely to maintain its neutral stance. “We expect the RBI to inject durable liquidity and closely monitor the currency to curb excessive volatility,” the report said. Headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) softened to 5.2 percent Year on Yea...