Mumbai, Oct 3 — The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee meets from October 5 to 7, with Governor Sanjay Malhotra announcing the decision on October 7. Economists say a rate hike is likely. State Bank of India’s research department says the committee will begin a rate hike cycle with at least 25 basis points, taking the repo rate from 5.25 per cent to 5.50 per cent. SBI also expects the RBI to raise its GDP forecast from 6.7 per cent to 7.0 per cent and its inflation forecast from 5.0 per cent to 5.2 per cent for FY27. Retail inflation rose to 4.82 per cent in August from 4.45 per cent in July, above the RBI’s 4 per cent target for the third month in a row. Eight of 10 economists polled by Business Standard expect a 25-basis-point hike. A Reuters poll found 38 of 61 economists expect the same move. If it happens, this would be the first repo rate hike since February 2023. The RBI cut rates by 125 basis points during 2025. The rupee is near 96.3 per dollar, and crude oil trades near triple digits. The MPC last changed