The Hindu Editorial (Staying watchful) – Feb 08, 2021

The RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has expectedly yet again left benchmark interest rates unchanged and reiterated that it will continue with its accommodative stance,… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Staying watchful) – Feb 08, 2021.

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The Hindu Editorial (Staying watchful) – Feb 08, 2021:

watchful (adjective) – observant, alert, vigilant, attentive.
drop (verb) – decrease, lessen, reduce.
guard (noun) – vigilance, vigil, watch, close watch, monitoring, surveillance.
vigilance (noun) – careful observation, watchfulness, surveillance, alertness, attentiveness.
The monetary policy committee (MPC) (noun) – it is a six-member panel that is expected to bring “value and transparency” to rate-setting decisions. It will feature three members from the RBI — the Governor, a Deputy Governor and another official — and three independent members to be selected by the Government. The MPC will meet four times a year to decide on monetary policy by a majority vote.
benchmark (noun as modifier) – standard, base/basis, point of reference.
benchmark interest rates (noun) – a minimal/minimum interest rate set and published by commercial banks for accumulating interest on different credit types.
reiterate (verb) – repeat, say again, restate.
accommodative (adjective) – aimed to encourage economic activity by reducing interest rates.
stance (noun) – stand, position, approach.
fiscal (year) (noun) – financial (year).
in order to (phrase) – with the purpose/aim of.
sustained (adjective) – continuous, constant, steady.
promising (adjective) – good, encouraging, favourable, hopeful, optimistic, positive.
welter (noun) – a large number of something (in no systematic order); a confused mass, jumble, mess.
look at (verb) – examine, analyse, appraise, inspect, scrutinize.
ongoing (adjective) – continuing, happening/occurring, unending, unceasing, relentless.
traction (noun) – popularity, acceptance; purchase, grip.
deceleration (noun) – deceleration is the rate at which something slows down; it is the opposite of acceleration.
retail or consumer price index (CPI) inflation (noun) – it is a measure of the total inflation within an economy, including commodities such as food and energy prices. The CPI monitors retail prices at a certain level for a particular commodity. The change in the price index over a period of time is referred to as CPI-based inflation, or retail inflation.
core inflation (noun) – it is a measure of the total inflation within an economy, excluding commodities such as food and energy prices (which change frequently).
ease (verb) – decrease, lessen, reduce, lower.
stick (verb) – be or remain fixed in a particular level.
tolerance (noun) – deviation, fluctuation, variation.
threshold (noun) – it is an amount, level, or limit of something. Once the threshold is reached, something else happens or changes. point of entry, starting point.
smooth your brow (phrase) – to stop worrying.
near-term (adjective) – short-term; “in the near term” means “in the near future”.
prioritise (verb) – make a point of, highlight, call attention to (something as very important).
rollout (noun) – official launch/introduction.
vaccination (noun) – treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.
infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc.
among other things (phrase) – used to indicate that there are several more things like the one mentioned, but that you do not intend to mention them all.
lend (verb) – give, provide, impart, add.
fillip (noun) – stimulus, boost, incentive.
momentum (noun) – rate, impetus.
persistent (adjective) – continuous, constant, non-stop.
resilience (noun) – strength; the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
undergird (verb) – provide support, bolster, reinforce/strengthen.
aid (verb) – facilitate, help, assist.
prospects (noun) – possibilities, chances, opportunities (for success).
rabi crops (noun) – winter crops; seeds sowing in the beginning (Nov) of the winter and harvesting at the end of the season (Apr) in the South Asia.
kharif crops (noun) – monsoon crops; seeds sowing in the beginning (Jun) of the monsoon and harvesting at the end of the season (Oct) in the South Asia.
sowing (noun) – an act of seeding a plant or crop.
year-on-year (adjective) – year over year (for comparison).
agitation (noun) – (public) protest.
cultivator (noun) – farmer, agriculturist.
cause for concern (phrase) – reason to worry (feel anxious).
protracted (adjective) – very long, long-lasting, prolonged/extensive.
impasse (noun) – deadlock, stalemate, checkmate, stand-off.
potential (noun) – possibility, potentiality, ability.
inflation (noun) – simply meaning “cost of living”; increase of price level of goods & services and vice versa decrease of currency value.
dynamics (noun) – basic/fundamental cause or force which triggers change within a system.
central bank (noun) – The banking regulator of a county’s banking system. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of India.
understandably (adverb) – as expected.
seek (verb) – try, attempt, aim.
privilege (verb) – give a privilege (right/advantage).
debt (noun) – liability, financial obligation, borrowed capital.
public debt/government debt (noun) – national debt and sovereign debt; it is the amount of money that a government owes to outside debtors/lenders (these can include individuals, businesses, and even other governments).
clutch (noun) – group, collection, set.
regulatory (adjective) – supervisory, managerial, controlling.
accompany (verb) – occur with, co-occur with, coincide with, coexist with.
monetary policy (noun) – monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy. (Courtesy: https://www.rbi.org.in)
measure (noun) – action, step, procedure.
held-to-maturity (adjective) – relating to investments which are purchased to be owned until maturity.
dispensation (noun) – system, organization.
security (noun) – investments, shares, holdings, securities, equities, bonds.
gilt (noun as modifier) – fixed-interest loan (government) securities.
gilt funds (noun) – Gilt funds are debt funds that invest in government securities. The government bonds used to be issued in golden-edged certificates. The nickname gilt comes from gilded edge certificates. As per (The Securities and Exchange Board of India) SEBI norms, gilt funds have the mandate to invest at least 80% of their assets in government securities.
unenviable (adjective) – difficult, disagreeable, painful, undesirable, unpleasant.
push up (phrasal verb) – increase, raise.
crowd out (phrasal verb) – exclude, remove, dispel.
private (investment) credit (noun) – private credit is an asset class comprised of higher yielding, illiquid investment opportunities that covers a range of risk/return profiles. It is an asset defined by non-bank lending where the debt is not issued or traded on the public markets. Private credit can also be referred to as “direct lending” or “private lending”.
persist (verb) – continue, remain, linger.
repo rate (noun) – it is the rate at which the central bank of a country (RBI in case of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds.
result in (phrasal verb) – cause, bring on, bring about, call forth, give rise to.
can ill afford (phrase) – to prevent something from happening because it would be embarrassing and cause problems (if it happens).