Blog

RBI repo rate hike to 5.50% in October 2026 and its impact on festive season consumer demand | Maction Consulting

The RBI Just Raised Rates for the First Time Since 2023. Festive Shoppers Won’t Feel It Yet — and That’s the Research Problem

On October 7, the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to raise the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50% — the first increase since February 2023 — and shifted its stance from neut...

Gold at Rs 81,000 per 10g before Dhanteras 2026 — investment vs jewellery buying split and festive consumer research implications | Maction Consulting

For the First Time Since 2000, Indians Are Buying More Gold as Investment Than as Jewellery

Dhanteras falls on November 6 this year, exactly a month away, and the World Gold Council’s own data points to something that would have sounded implausible a few years ago: in the first quarter...

UPI MDR trader protest October 2026 — CAIT merchant pushback and festive season payment mix impact | Maction Consulting

Traders Just Split Over the UPI MDR Protest — Which Is More Useful Data Than the Protest Itself

The planned “No UPI Day” protest for October 2 — which we flagged two weeks ago as the kind of merchant-behaviour question standard trackers don’t capture — just played out in a genu...

Crude at $107 and rupee past 96 — festive season cost pressure beyond fuel for Indian brands | Maction Consulting

Crude at $107, Rupee Past 96: This Isn’t Just a Fuel Story Anymore

Brent crude crossed $107 a barrel this weekend, and the rupee slipped past 96 to the dollar on September 28 for the first time — two numbers moving together, twelve days before Navratri begins. The pr...

India onion buffer stock 2026 — Rs 25/kg subsidised price vs Rs 75/kg market price gap and festive demand impact | Maction Consulting

The Government Is Selling Onions at Rs 25/kg. The Market Is Still Charging Rs 75. That Gap Is the Research Question

The Centre’s onion buffer-stock intervention, flagged as a plan back in July, is now visibly running: roughly 4,000 tonnes sold across 17 cities in the intervention’s first ten days, moved...

FADA August 2026 India car market — alternative fuels 41.95% vs petrol 40.85%, CNG driving the shift not EVs | Maction Consulting

Alternative Fuels Just Overtook Petrol in India’s Car Market — And Almost Nobody Framed It That Way

FADA’s August retail numbers, released September 7, led with a genuinely strong headline: 24.23 lakh vehicle registrations, up 17.51% year-on-year, the biggest August on record. That’s the...

UPI MDR October 2026 — 0.4% merchant discount rate launching mid-festive season, Rs 2000 threshold impact on merchant behaviour | Maction Consulting

UPI Stops Being Free for Merchants on October 15 — And It Lands Mid-Festive Season

NPCI issued a circular on September 15 that ends six years of zero-cost UPI for merchants. From October 15, a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate applies to person-to-merchant transactions above Rs 2,000, cap...

India bank liquidity surplus ₹11 lakh crore 2026 — what it means for festive season EMI demand and consumer durables research | Maction Consulting

India’s Banks Are Sitting on a Record ₹11 Lakh Crore Surplus — Right Before Festive Season

India’s banking system is sitting on the largest cash surplus in its recorded history — roughly ₹11 lakh crore, or $115 billion, in excess rupee liquidity — and the RBI began actively draining i...

RAI festive retail recovery 2026 — 8% national growth with North South at 9% and West East at 6%, regional divergence analysis | Maction Consulting

Retail Is Recovering Ahead of Festive Season — But “Measured Recovery” Isn’t the Same Everywhere

The Retailers Association of India released its latest Business Survey this week, and the topline is genuinely encouraging: retail grew 8% year-on-year in July, with store-level demand — the RAI&#8217...