India Economics Update Tax amendments another success for Modi government Recent amendments to the tax treaty between India and Mauritius - the terms of which have made Mauritius the leading source of foreign investment into India - are likely to bring more benefits than... 17th May 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Import weakness to keep trade deficit in check India’s monthly trade deficit narrowed to a five-year low in April. With a number of factors likely to keep commodity imports in check, the overall current account position is unlikely to return as a... 16th May 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Bankruptcy reform would be a major step forward The Lok Sabha’s vote in favour of an overhaul of India’s archaic bankruptcy laws is a step towards creating a more friendly business environment and easing constraints in the banking sector. What’s... 10th May 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Inflation to remain close to target We think that consumer price inflation held steady April as the recent slowdown in food inflation appears to have run its course. With inflation only just below the RBI's 5.0% target for March 2017... 5th May 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Inflation to remain close to target We think that consumer price inflation held steady April as the recent slowdown in food inflation appears to have run its course. With inflation only just below the RBI's 5.0% target for March 2017... 5th May 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Assessing the impact of a strong monsoon Early forecasts of a stronger-than-normal monsoon in India this year have raised hopes of a boost to GDP growth and a drop in inflation as agricultural production gets ramped up. But the early... 28th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update What would the impact be if Governor Rajan stepped down? Indian media has been awash with reports that RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan might not have his contract renewed when his term expires in September. In the unlikely case that this occurs, financial... 25th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Bond market rally could soon run out of steam Yields on India's local currency debt have fallen so far in April to their lowest in nearly three years. But with the scope for further monetary loosening now looking limited, we think that yields are... 21st April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Government faces uphill task to meet export target The narrowing in India's trade deficit to a six-year low in FY15/16 is welcome news, but this masks the fact that exports slumped by over 15% last year. With progress on the reforms needed to create a... 19th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Maturing FX swaps unlikely to rattle markets Recent concerns over a potential market sell-off when the Reserve Bank‘s FX swap facilities, unveiled during the 2013 “taper tantrum”, mature have been overstated. For a start, the RBI has already... 18th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Is consumer spending about to take off? Following years of weakness, there are signs that private consumption in India is finally finding its feet. Cyclical factors such as looser monetary policy should help to support the nascent recovery... 14th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Inflation to ease again but RBI's targets under threat Inflation is likely to have fallen in March as food price pressures continued to ease. But further ahead, the RBI still faces a difficult task in meeting its inflation targets for 2017 and 2018. Given... 7th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update Will commercial banks now pass on policy rate cuts? Having now cut its repo rate by 150bp since January 2015, the RBI yesterday re-emphasised the need for commercial banks to boost lending by passing on rate reductions to borrowers. In truth, high... 6th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update RBI cuts repo rate but loosening cycle now at an end The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced its repo rate by 25bp to 6.50% today but, given the difficulties it faces in meeting its inflation targets for March 2017 and 2018, we think that rates will now... 5th April 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update State elections take centre stage The raft of upcoming state elections in India are likely to have an important bearing on economic policy at the local level. But perhaps more significant, the outcome of the state elections could be... 31st March 2016 · 1 min read
India Economics Update External position continues to strengthen The narrowing in India's current account deficit in Q4 2015, along with the pick-up in foreign direct investment inflows, supports our view that the country's external position will remain far less a... 22nd March 2016 · 1 min read
