RBI gives respite to banks with measures to ease liquidity

21 Aug 2013 Evaluate

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signaling a partial relaxation in its tight money policy has announced various measures to ease liquidity. The central bank has said that it is important to ensure that the liquidity tightening does not harden longer term yields sharply and adversely impact the flow of credit to the productive sectors of the economy viz-a-viz addressing the risks to macroeconomic stability from external sector imbalances.

The measures which include Rs 8,000 crore bond buyback are aimed at easing liquidity conditions in the market which has worsened after RBI’s money tightening steps, including raising short-term rates, to curb volatility in the exchange rate of rupee. As per the RBI circular, the apex bank will conduct open market purchase operations (OMOs) of long dated Government of India Securities of Rs 8,000 crore on August 23, 2013, and thereafter calibrate them both in terms of quantum and frequency, as may be warranted by the evolving market conditions.

The central bank also noted that the hardening of long term yields has resulted in banks incurring large mark-to-market (MTM) losses in their investment portfolio. Since these MTM losses are partly resulting from abnormal market conditions and could be expected to be largely recouped going forward. Hence it has decided to provide some prudential adjustments for a limited period, which includes relaxing the current regulation of bringing statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) securities in held to maturity (HTM) category from 25 per cent to 23 per cent of their Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL), to be retained at 24.5 per cent until further instructions.

Further, banks will now be allowed to transfer SLR securities to HTM category from available for sale (AFS) / held for trading (HFT) categories up to the limit of 24.5 per cent as a one-time measure. Such transfer of securities from AFS/HFT category to HTM category should be made at the lower of the book value or market value. Banks have the option of valuing these securities for the purpose of such transfer as at the close of business of July 15, 2013. In addition, banks can spread over the net depreciation, if any, on account of MTM valuation of securities held under AFS/HFT categories over the remaining period of the current financial year in equal instalments.

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