The Reserve Bank of India on 5th August 2022, has increased the policy Repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 50 basis points from 4.90 per cent to 5.40 per cent with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate and marginal standing facility (MSF) rate stand adjusted to 5.15 per cent and 5.65 per cent respectively which was decided by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). The MPC also decided to remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation remains within the target going forward, while supporting growth.
These decisions are in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 per cent within a band of +/- 2 per cent, while supporting growth.
Since the MPC’s meeting in June 2022, the global economic and financial environment has deteriorated with the combined impact of monetary policy tightening across the world and the persisting war in Europe heightening risks of recession. Gripped by risk aversion, global financial markets have experienced surges of volatility and large sell-offs. The US dollar index soared to a two-decade high in July. Both advanced economies (AEs) and emerging market economies (EMEs) witnessed weakening of their currencies against the US dollar. EMEs are experiencing capital outflows and reserve losses which are exacerbating risks to their growth and financial stability.
