By Shaloo Shrivastava
BENGALURU (Reuters) - India's retail inflation edged up to a four-month high in March, led by an increase in food and fuel prices, but remained within the Reserve Bank of India's target range, a Reuters poll predicted.
The April 5-8 poll of more than 50 economists showed retail inflation rose to 5.40% in March from a year earlier as opposed to 5.03% in February. Forecasts ranged from 4.60% to 6.11%.
"Although India's core inflation has remained elevated for a while, the recent acceleration in headline inflation largely reflects higher food prices," said Tuuli McCully, head of Asia-Pacific economics at Scotia Bank.
"I expect the pickup to be a temporary phenomenon, yet there are significant risks surrounding the inflation outlook."