VisVoice

Hike in Repo Rate - Is it a case of Hobson's Choice for MPC this time? Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets in Mumbai from 28 th to 30 th   Sep 2022, to review the present monetary conditions and align, if necessary, RBI's policy rate, so as to achieve the committee's mandate of containing inflation within the band of +/-2 per cent over the targeted rate of 4 per cent. Economic experts have already expressed their opinion that the rate hike is imminent again, with guesstimate differing only on the increase in the number of basis points (bps). Shadow committees of the media and few others, are also likely to meet today and tomorrow to give their predictions. As a layman among bankers, I gathered information on some important issues, which formed the core of MPC discussions in the past in arriving at their unanimous/majority decision on policy rates. I share the same along with my views.  External Factors: 1.      US Federal Reserve Interest Rates (Fed ...

SBT FOUNDATION DAY - 12 TH SEPTEMBER Today is the foundation day for State Bank of Travancore, an associate of State Bank of India, merged with the parent on 31 st March 2017. As Covid threat is no longer looming large, the foundation day of SBT (came into existence 12 th September 1945), is sure to be celebrated today, all over Kerala, with love and fond memories by all ex-SBTians. People ask me, “What is so great to celebrate the foundation day of an institution, which no longer exists". Yes, we have special reasons to celebrate and the main factor is the human connect that binds us, till we breathe our last. I share a few personal instances, which describe the character of the bank and the attitude of the staff’ No mincing of words, please: When I joined the bank in 1985 as a Probationary Officer, I joined State Bank of Travancore Officers’ Association (SBTOA), which was a minority association and a sister wing of SBT Employees’ Union, the major employees’ union in SBT ...