India's retail inflation at three-month high, hits 6.52% in January

Retail inflation breaching RBI's upper threshold of 6%

India’s retail inflation reversed its downward trend in January and once again breached the central bank’s upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent after a gap of two months, forcing some analysts to project another rate hike by the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in April.

Data released by the National Statistical Office on Monday showed the Consumer Price Index-based inflation rate rising unexpectedly to a three-month high at 6.52 per cent in January, from 5.72 per cent in December, as goods across categories, including food and beverage, housing, and services, saw price rise, with food