India Economics Update Taking stock of the vaccine rollout Almost a month since the start of India’s vaccination drive, it appears highly unlikely that the government will meet its target of inoculating 300m people by August. For now, we maintain our... 10th February 2021 · 3 mins read
Global Markets Update We doubt Indian yields will rise any further Indian government bond yields have increased sharply since the Union Budget earlier this week but we don’t think they will rise much further, and they may even decline slightly from here. 5th February 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Update RBI will keep policy loose for a long time to come The MPC voted to keep the repo and reverse repo rates on hold today but committed to keeping policy “accommodative” for the foreseeable future. We no longer expect any more rate cuts, but markets are... 5th February 2021 · 3 mins read
India Economics Weekly The benefits and limitations of a “bad bank” The creation of a “bad bank” in India - for which plans were briefly discussed in the Budget announcement - would help restructure the loans of the most heavily-indebted firms and facilitate a clean... 5th February 2021 · 5 mins read
India Data Response India Services & Composite PMI (Jan.) India’s PMI readings for January suggest that the economy is still rebounding and, with fiscal policy finally being loosened significantly, a decent recovery over the coming quarters looks a stronger... 3rd February 2021 · 2 mins read
India Economics Update A more credible Union Budget By bringing large off-balance sheet expenditures back into official spending plans and setting more realistic targets for revenues, the Finance Ministry has presented a more credible Union Budget for... 2nd February 2021 · 3 mins read
Capital Daily We think the rise in Indian bond yields may prove short lived Indian government bond yields have increased sharply following the government’s budget announcement earlier today, but we suspect they will fall back before long. 1st February 2021 · 6 mins read
India Economics Update At last, the Finance Ministry breaks the shackles India’s Finance Ministry set aside the desire for near-term fiscal consolidation and today announced significant stimulus in the FY21/222 union budget. That should support the economic recovery over... 1st February 2021 · 4 mins read
India Data Response India Manufacturing PMI (Jan. 2021) India's manufacturing PMI reading edged up in January but, given signs elsewhere that the industrial recovery has lost a bit of steam, policymakers should still be aiming to provide support to the... 1st February 2021 · 2 mins read
Asia Data Response Manufacturing PMIs (Jan.) PMI readings for Asia suggest that manufacturing sectors improved further in most places. Buoyant global demand for electronics should continue to support the sector for at least the next few months. 1st February 2021 · 2 mins read
India Data Response Core Infrastructure Industries (Dec.) India’s core infrastructure industries index didn’t improve much in December, which suggests that the industrial rebound lost some steam in Q4 and underscores the need for policymakers to provide... 29th January 2021 · 2 mins read
India Economics Weekly Finance Ministry’s balancing act, RBI’s opportunity For India watchers, next week will be one of the most important of the year. We think the Finance Ministry will attempt to demonstrate prudence in the Union Budget on Monday, though obfuscation of the... 29th January 2021 · 5 mins read
RBI Watch Don’t rule out a rate cut Financial markets and analysts appear convinced that policy rates will be left on hold at the conclusion of the MPC meeting on Friday 5 th February, but we aren’t so sure. We think the recent sharp... 27th January 2021 · 6 mins read
India Economics Focus What should we expect from the Union Budget? The Finance Ministry faces a tough balancing act in the Union Budget for FY21/22 as it aims to stabilise the public finances while avoiding economically and politically-damaging spending cuts. The... 25th January 2021 · 10 mins read
India Economics Weekly FX reserve accumulation will limit rupee gains The RBI has accumulated foreign exchange reserves at a rapid pace over recent months, and comments this week from Governor Shaktikanta Das indicate that the central bank intends to build up its... 22nd January 2021 · 4 mins read
India Chart Pack The benefits and costs of tighter NBFC regulation The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to tighten regulation of non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) over the coming weeks. Alongside stricter audits of many smaller lenders, the RBI is likely to... 21st January 2021 · 9 mins read