India Economics Update Inflation will force the RBI’s hand The recent hawkish turn by many major central banks did not faze the RBI today, which continued to project a dovish tone while keeping policy settings unchanged. But inflation risks are building and... 10th February 2022 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update The UP election and what it means for reforms The upcoming election in Uttar Pradesh (UP) – India’s most populous state and one of its most politically important – is already having an impact on economic policy as contentious reforms have been... 2nd February 2022 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Budget should deliver stronger growth and inflation Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered a more growth-friendly Union Budget than most had expected today. But rather than unveiling measures to shore up support ahead of state elections, new... 1st February 2022 · 3 mins read
China Economics Update A guide to political events in 2022 Korea, the Philippines and India are each holding elections this year that will play a role in setting fiscal and structural reform priorities, including the possible introduction of a universal basic... 10th January 2022 · 4 mins read
India Economics Update Key calls for 2022 As long as recurrent large waves of COVID are avoided, we think that Indian GDP growth will accelerate this year. At the same time, inflation is likely to rise more sharply than generally expected... 5th January 2022 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update RBI still taking baby steps towards tightening The MPC voted to keep policy rates on hold today, opting only to introduce further small measures to withdraw liquidity from the banking sector. With the RBI still focusing primarily on supporting the... 8th December 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Mobile payment takes off The pandemic has triggered a three-fold increase in the use of mobile payments in India. It is unclear whether there has been a corresponding broadening in the number of people using cashless payment... 11th November 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Annual fiscal deficit will be smaller than budgeted Relative to budget estimates, the cumulative fiscal deficit in rupee terms is much smaller than normal for this time of year, due in large part to decent tax revenues. We think the Finance Ministry... 1st November 2021 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update MPC fault lines emerge, but doves still in control The minutes of the Reserve Bank’s October policy meeting suggest greater divergence of opinion within the MPC, with two members calling for more definitive steps towards policy normalisation. But most... 25th October 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Burgeoning trade deficit is not a major concern The sharp widening in India’s goods trade deficit in September was driven in part by an unusually large jump in oil imports that we think will prove a one-off. And with the economic recovery entering... 15th October 2021 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update Rate hikes remain a distant prospect The Reserve Bank kept the repo rate on hold at a record low today and stressed that its latest liquidity-withdrawal measures do not constitute policy tightening. Given our view that the recovery will... 8th October 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Three points on banking sector liquidity Measures by the Reserve Bank to drain banking sector liquidity have caught attention over the past few days. But with liquidity still abundant, interbank rates at the very bottom of the rate corridor... 14th September 2021 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update Implications of a weak monsoon This year’s monsoon has so far been weaker than usual. This won’t have as big an economic impact as it would have a couple of decades ago. But it will harm employment and energy production. Some... 7th September 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Policy to stay loose despite first signs of MPC dissent The minutes of the Reserve Bank’s August policy meeting show the first signs of dissent as MPC member Jayanth Varma argued that a hike in the reverse repo rate and a change in policy stance would be... 23rd August 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update Widening trade deficit no major concern The widening in India’s goods trade deficit in July was due in large part to the continued rebound in imports as containment measures were scaled back further. The trade deficit may widen a little... 16th August 2021 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update RBI in no rush to tighten policy The Reserve Bank kept the repo rate on hold at a record low today and announced plans to ramp up government bond purchases on the secondary market, underlining its commitment to supporting the... 6th August 2021 · 3 mins read