The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) unexpectedly all reduced the key interest rate from 6.5% to 6.25% per annum. The decision of the Central Bank did not coincide with analysts' forecasts, only 11 out of 43 experts suggested a rate cut. The new head of the Indian regulator Shaktikanta Das, for whom this meeting was the debut, was among the first to support easing of monetary policy.
This decision was facilitated by the weakening of inflation in the country. In December, consumer price growth rates increased to 2.2% in annual terms. However, the target RBI inflation target is 4%. A key factor leading to a weakening of inflation was the decline in food prices.
According to forecasts of the Central Bank, India's GDP will increase by 7.4% in the current fiscal year ending in March 2019.
