RBI Monetary Policy December 2021: Central bank to hold rates, hike early next year

This comes when retail inflation - the central bank`s preferred gauge - has been within its 2%-6% target range since July.

Bengaluru: The Reserve Bank of India will hike its reverse repo rate early next year and increase its repo rate the following quarter, according to a Reuters poll of economists who were split on whether the latest COVID-19 variant risked delaying those moves.

This comes when retail inflation - the central bank`s preferred gauge - has been within its 2%-6% target range since July.

The Dec. 1-3 poll of 50 economists showed the RBI would hold its benchmark interest rate at 4.00% and the reverse repo rate at 3.35% at its Dec. 8 meeting.