India Economics Update External vulnerabilities remain low India’s current account deficit all but held steady at a low level in Q2, which leaves the economy well placed to weather any sudden shifts in global risk appetite over the coming months. 22nd September 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Domestic factors unlikely to cause rupee slump The rupee has been stable against the US dollar in recent months. Looking ahead, suggestions that domestic factors, including calls from within government for a devaluation of the currency and the RBI... 20th September 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Lower import bill will keep trade deficit in check The monthly trade deficit narrowed a touch in August and, with a number of factors likely to keep commodity imports in check, the overall current account position is unlikely to return as a source of... 16th September 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Corporate bond reform could ease financing constraints Recent measures aimed at reinvigorating India’s domestic corporate bond market are likely to vary in their impact. But overall, the reforms should help to open a new source of financing for Indian... 15th September 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Fiscal deficit target is under pressure The rapid expansion of the government deficit in the early part of this fiscal year is a common occurrence, as revenues tend to get ramped up in the latter months. However, unlike in previous years... 7th September 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update New RBI governor faces hard task in meeting targets CPI inflation data for August are likely to show that the headline rate eased a touch, but remained some way above the Reserve Bank’s 5.0% target for March 2017. With the new governor, Dr Urjit Patel... 5th September 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Resetting reform priorities after the GST The passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill this month, 10 years after its introduction, was arguably the biggest legislative victory to date for the Modi government. Looking ahead, the... 31st August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Strong vehicle sales not a sign of consumption revival The recent surge in sales of new vehicles is likely to have been driven by industry-specific policies to reduce pollution by taking old vehicles off the road rather than a more general boom in... 26th August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Choice of new RBI governor signals policy continuity The announcement over the weekend that Dr Urjit Patel, a current deputy governor, will take over as governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in September points to policy continuity and strengthens... 22nd August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Rally in equities has further to run Indian equities have rallied over the past few months. This reflects in part a broader pick-up across most major EM equity markets, but local factors such as evidence that the government’s reform... 18th August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Gold bond scheme showing signs of success India’s monthly trade deficit narrowed in July and, with the government’s sovereign gold bond scheme helping to keep a lid on imports of the precious metal, the external position is unlikely to return... 15th August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update No need to panic over maturing FX swaps There still appears to be some confusion over the potential market impact when the RBI’s FX swap facilities mature next month. The RBI has already confirmed that the maturing swaps have been covered... 10th August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Governor Rajan holds rates in final policy meeting Governor Raghuram Rajan has developed a habit of surprising financial markets over the past three years, but there were no shocks in store in his final policy announcement today as the repo rate was... 9th August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update GST reform a major step forward The passage of a long-awaited Goods and Service Tax (GST) yesterday by India’s parliament is arguably one of the country’s most important economic reforms of the past couple of decades and should... 4th August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Monsoon impact on inflation limited July’s consumer price inflation data is likely to show that the headline rate edged down but remained some way above the Reserve Bank’s 5.0% target for March 2017. Suggestions from many commentators... 4th August 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update A snapshot of the services sector GDP data due at the end of August are likely to show that India’s economy continued to perform impressively in Q2, with the services sector remaining the key driver of growth. But we, and many others... 29th July 2016 · 1 min read
