New Delhi, Dec. 3 -- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun its final three-day monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting today, Wednesday, December 3. The central bank will evaluate if the present economic conditions justify a rate cut or whether the RBI should hold off a bit longer before easing policy.

In its October meeting, the MPC left the repo rate unchanged at 5.5% for the fourth consecutive time. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra noted that inflation had cooled significantly, allowing the committee to hold its stance.

With economic growth strengthening and price pressures continuing to ease, focus has now shifted to whether the December review might signal the beginning of a rate-cut cycle.

The MPC has cut the key policy rate by a...