RBI holds repo rate at 5.25%, lifts FY27 growth forecast, awaits clearer inflation signal before easing.
The MPC voted unanimously (6-0) to hold the repo rate and retain a neutral stance, raising its FY27 GDP forecast to 6.7% and cutting its FY27 inflation estimate to 5.0%. Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the central bank wants greater clarity on inflation before adjusting rates -- rate cuts are being held in reserve, not delivered pre-emptively, despite the growth outperformance.
Brent eases to $88-90/bbl by late August as the Hormuz standoff reads more like sanctions than a supply threat. Energy & Power
After spiking to ~$87.7 on Aug 10 and climbing as high as ~$95.40 on Aug 20, Brent retreated through the rest of the month to $87.98-90.21 as traders increasingly read the Iran/Strait of Hormuz situation as an economic-sanctions confrontation rather than an imminent physical-supply disruption, aided by improving Hormuz flows and a proposed Iran-Oman corridor. Crude remains well above its pre-spike ~$80 level, so the risk premium is only partly unwound, not reversed.
No successor named yet as Chandrasekaran's TCS chairman search continues. Information Technology
N. Chandrasekaran confirmed he will not seek reappointment as Tata Sons chairman when his term ends in Feb 2027 and will leave the group; no successor has been named as of Aug 31, consistent with a normal, months-long board search rather than a rushed process. No further C-suite departures or governance controversies compounding the transition have surfaced.
No new red flags a month after GCPL CEO Sitapati's abrupt exit. FMCG
Follow-up reporting on Sudhir Sitapati's Aug 12 resignation as GCPL CEO -- days after shareholders approved his reappointment -- surfaced no reason for the departure, no further senior exits, and no disclosed governance or regulatory issue as of Aug 31. CFO Aasif Malbari has taken over as MD & CEO. The open governance-risk claim remains unresolved either way.
RBI approves South Indian Bank's external CEO pick; stock fell on profit-booking, not on the news itself. Banks
The RBI approved Mahesh Muralidhar Pai (currently a Canara Bank Chief General Manager) as South Indian Bank's MD & CEO for a three-year term starting Oct 1, 2026, succeeding P.R. Seshadri. Shares fell over 9% in the session following the announcement, attributed to profit-booking rather than a stated governance concern; the transition itself remains on schedule and hasn't yet entered the window where its smoothness can be judged.