Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Policy Pause, Moderating Activity, Dollar Inflows: Week in Charts
Every week, news reporters look at numbers to understand how a country is doing.
The Reserve Bank of India is the big bank that takes care of India's money.
It decided to keep interest rates the same for the fourth time in a row, which means borrowing money costs the same as before.
It also thinks India's economy will grow a little faster, but prices will rise a little more slowly.
Factories and shops that give services grew more slowly in July, but they are still growing.
Indian banks collected lots of money from people living in other countries, about 28 billion dollars, to help make India's money stronger.
Some company owners put up their own shares as a promise when they borrow money, and slightly more companies are doing this now.
In sports, India won 39 medals at the Commonwealth Games, which is the lowest number it has won in many years.
The games were still fun, but India finished in fourth place overall.
The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% for the fourth straight review and retained its neutral stance.
The RBI raised its FY27 GDP growth forecast to 6.7% and lowered its CPI inflation estimate to 5.0%.
India's HSBC Manufacturing PMI slipped to 53.5 and Services PMI fell to 53.3 in July, both touching multi-year lows.
Indian banks mobilized about $28 billion in net fresh FCNR deposits between 5 June and 30 July under the RBI's special dollar inflow scheme, with HSBC, State Bank of India and ICICI Bank accounting for nearly half.
India's 39-medal haul at the 2026 Commonwealth Games was its lowest since Kuala Lumpur 1998, finishing fourth with 14 gold, 16 silver and nine bronze.
Promoter share pledging edged up in Q1 FY27, with 34 BSE-listed companies having over 90% of promoter holdings pledged, up from 30 in the March quarter.
- Who
- The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee, Indian banks and companies, and India's Commonwealth Games contingent.
- What
- The RBI paused interest rates and adjusted outlooks, business activity moderated, banks raised dollar deposits, promoter pledging rose, and India recorded its lowest Commonwealth Games medal haul since 1998.
- When
- The RBI's August monetary policy meeting; PMI readings for July; FCNR deposit mobilization between 5 June and 30 July; pledging data for Q1 FY27; the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
- Where
- India, including BSE-listed companies and the Commonwealth Games.
- Why
- The RBI aims to support growth and attract foreign currency inflows to shore up the rupee, while indicators tracked this week reflect moderating activity and funding stress in some companies.
- Repo rate
- 5.25% (unchanged, fourth straight review)
- FY27 GDP growth forecast
- 6.7% (raised from 6.6%)
- FY27 CPI inflation forecast
- 5.0% (lowered from 5.1%)
- July Manufacturing PMI
- 53.5 (lowest since August 2021)
- July Services PMI
- 53.3 (slowest in nearly 4.5 years)
- FCNR deposits mobilized
- About $28 billion (5 June - 30 July)
- LIC offer for sale
- ₹31,552 crore raised; government stake cut to 90%
- Commonwealth Games 2026 tally
- 39 medals (14 gold, 16 silver, 9 bronze), 4th place