Jalan not worried over falling yields

By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 12 November 2002, 20:30 IST
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Bimal Jalan, India's Central Bank chief, clarified on Tuesday he was not "uncomfortable" with falling government bond yields.

MUMBAI: ”When deputy governor Rakesh Mohan was not uncomfortable with falling bond yields, how can I be uncomfortable?” he told mediapersons when asked about the current drop in government bond yields. Jalan ruled out not only any link between interest rates in the United States and Indian rates, but also any immediate chances of a cut in the short-term repo rate from the current 5.5 percent. What sparked off a minor rally in bond prices was central bank Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan statement that he was comfortable with falling government bond yields. Yields, which move inversely to prices, have fallen sharply in the past two weeks following interest rate cuts in India and the United States, says news agencies. The benchmark 10-year federal bond yield has shaved off nearly 25 basis points from October 28, the day before the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lowered interest rates, according to the agencies