WACR tops repo rate for first time in nearly 2 months

Mumbai: The weighted average call rate (WACR) inched above the repo rate for the first time in nearly two months as liquidity drained from the banking system, reducing below the ₹5-lakh crore mark. WACR stood at 5.31% on Tuesday, up from 5.24% on Monday, CCIL data showed. Banking system liquidity was at a surplus ₹4.91 crores on Monday, after reaching a multi year peak of ₹11.16 lakh crore earlier this month.

The Reserve Bank of India has conducted multiple operations - durable and transient - to drain excess liquidity, including open market operation (OMO) sales and variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auctions. Additionally, GST outflows and weekly g-sec auctions have also helped drain the excess.

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"I think the RBI will be comfortable with a surplus of ₹3-4 lakh crore, because they also have to maintain liquidity to 1% of NDTL. Plus, we are also approaching the quarter end, where demand for funds is typically high, which is showing up in call rates," said AN Vinod, head of treasury, South Indian Bank. The RBI will conduct one more ₹25,000 crore OMO operation on Monday, while the government will sell ₹32,000 crore 10 year bond on Friday, draining further liquidity.

"I expect liquidity to increase a little by month end, because government expenditure will come in, which can take system liquidity to around ₹5 lakh crore," said Gaura Sengupta, chief economist at IDFC First Bank.

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"Its not that the Reserve Bank of India needs to hit a certain level of liquidity to manage the WACR. I think the VRRR manages the call rate well because even though the VRRR is temporary, the Reserve Bank of India keeps rolling it over," Sengupta said.

The RBI drained ₹71,971 crore via a VRRR auction on Tuesday, where the notified amount stood at ₹75,000 crore. The central bank will conduct another VRRR for ₹75,000 crore on Wednesday.