India to cut food weighting in CPI in new inflation series
NEW DELHI, Jan 29 (Reuters) – India will cut the weighting of food in its CPI (Consumer Price Index) to 36.75% in a new inflation series, potentially making headline inflation readings less volatile and smoothing the outlook for monetary policy. Food prices, which tend to swing based on factors such as weather and supply disruptions, now account for 45.86% of the basket used to calculate CPI, while the central bank uses CPI as the anchor for its main inflation target of 4% plus or minus two percentage points. The current CPI basket still reflects 2011-12 consumer spending patterns, which economists