Dec retail inflation to be around 1.45%: FE Poll

THE HEADLINE RETAIL inflation for December is estimated to stay on the upward trajectory after falling to a series-low in October due to adverse base effects in food prices and sequential firmness in precious metals, economists said.

- KULDEEP SINGH

The CPI inflation is estimated to be 1.45% year-on-year in December, up from 0.71% in November and 0.25% in October, going by the median of an FE poll of economists.

This would mean the key inflation figure may have stayed below the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) medium-term target of 4% for the 11th consecutive month and below the lower end of the central bank’s target range of 2-6% for the fourth straight month.

The December inflation print would be the last reading under the older 2012 base, with January 2026’s print (scheduled to out on February 12) to reflect the new 2024 base year.