New Delhi, Sept. 16 -- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may consider two calibrated 25-basis-point rate hikes at its October and December Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meetings amid broadening inflationary pressures and rising imported inflation risks from higher crude oil prices, SBI Research said in a report.

SBI Research noted that consumer price inflation (CPI) is expected to cross 6.5 per cent in the coming months before easing below 6 per cent in early 2027. It added that the central bank could use its October and December meetings to build a policy buffer before pausing to assess incoming data, ANI reported.

Inflationary Pressures Becoming Broad-Based

Retail inflation rose to 4.82 per cent in August 2026 from 4.45 per cent in J...