RBI Monetary Policy Meeting: Date, Time, What To Expect And How To Watch RBI Governor's Statement Live

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is slated to hold its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting this week. Scheduled from Dec. 3 to Dec. 5, the MPC meet will focus on the review of repo rate, liquidity, inflation trends and growth forecasts, among other key policy issues.

The six-member panel of the Central bank, headed by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, is set to meet in the backdrop of strong economic growth and record low inflation.

In October, the MPC kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.5%. At the time, Malhotra said inflation had eased sharply, which gave the panel confidence to hold the rate. The upcoming meeting is being keenly watched as experts predict another reduction in the benchmark lending rate in the December cycle.

At the last meeting, the inflation target for the current financial year was reduced to 2.6% by the MPC. It had been 3.1% in August, down from the June estimate of 3.7%.

The RBI MPC meeting will be held between Dec. 3 and Dec. 5. The committee will review the policies during this period, following which the RBI Governor will announce the decision at 10 a.m. RBI Governor's press briefing will be held at 12:00 p.m.

Viewers can watch the announcement live on the RBI’s social media handles. The RBI Governor’s press briefing can also be watched live on NDTV Profit. Audiences can follow the updates in real time and track key highlights on YouTube and other social media channels of the NDTV Network.  

Viewers can visit RBI’s YouTube channel to watch the press conference at 12:00 p.m. on Dec. 5.

The country recently posted a strong GDP growth of 8.2% in the second quarter of the current financial year, beating expectations. With growth holding firm, many experts believe the Central bank is likely to keep the repo rate unchanged. 

Additionally, retail inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has stayed below the 2% lower tolerance band for two months. This further adds support to the view that the Central bank will hold the rates as inflation is a key concern for these meetings. With reforms such as GST cuts and income tax reforms, economic momentum has improved, which may encourage the MPC to maintain stability while assessing future trends.

According to Dharmakirti Joshi of Crisil, headline inflation dropped below the RBI’s 2–6% range largely because food prices stayed soft and fuel inflation remained weak. He added that core inflation, excluding gold, eased to 2.6% in October.

According to experts, the repo rate decision will be a close call, but currently it appears balanced.

"The upcoming RBI rate decision remains a close call. But given the lingering risks on growth (in H2) and inflation expected to remain well below 4% until Q3 FY27, we see that there may still be a chance of another 25bps rate cut at the upcoming policy," a report by the HDFC Bank said.