S&P lifts India outlook; inflation, rates in focus
Source : Reuters By C.J. Kuncheria and Tony Munroe
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's lifted its outlook on India to stable from negative on Thursday, citing an improving fiscal position and strong economic growth but warned on inflation, boosting stock and bond prices.
A deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the central bank was open to taking policy action ahead of its April 20 policy review. With headline inflation nearing 10 percent, the RBI is under increasing pressure to raise interest rates for the first time since the global downturn.
Earlier, the government reported food inflation eased for the second straight week in early March but fuel inflation rose.
In affirming its BBB- long-term and A-3 short term credit ratings on India, S&P said ratings remained constrained by a high debt burden and deficit, and said inflation is a worry.
"In our opinion, the recent high inflation rate could also derail the stable macroeconomic and interest rate environments," S&P credit analyst Takahira Ogawa said in a statement.
For a text of the S&P statement,
click here
On Monday, India reported headline wholesale price index (WPI) inflation of 9.89 percent for February.
Analysts said WPI would reach double digits by March before retreating over the next few months, but a pick-up in economic growth would keep inflation high for the rest of the year.
India's 10-year bond yield fell 4 basis points after S&P raised the ratings outlook, while the 5-year swap rate shed 3 basis points. The 30-share BSE index ended up 0.2 percent on a late surge.
The partially convertible rupee was little changed.
S&P's outlook on India is now in line with Moody's and Fitch.
"The stable outlook reflects our view that India's fiscal consolidation at the central, state, and public enterprise levels over the next several years will likely restore the government's policy flexibility," S&P said.
EYES ON RBI
RBI Deputy Governor K.C. Chakrabarty said evidence showed demand factors were beginning to fuel inflation.
Another central bank deputy governor had said previously that the RBI was unlikely to make a policy change outside its quarterly cycle except in unforeseen developments.
Asked if the RBI could change policy before its April meeting, he said: "Any day. This is online, real-time policy. If the governor feels action is to be taken, he will take action."
Chakrabarty is one of four RBI deputy governors and is not directly involved in setting interest rate policy.
"If action is necessary, it will be taken. For that we need to examine the reason for inflation, how much is driven by supply factors and how much is from demand factors," he told reporters.
C. Rangarajan, the influential chairman of the Prime Minister's economic advisory panel, said the RBI may look to drain cash before taking any interest rate action.
"The RBI may want to wait for a few weeks to see if food prices will decline on account of the rabi (winter crop) output. Then it might want to tighten liquidity and if inflation still persists, then it will act on policy rates," he said.
FOOD INFLATION EASES, FUEL UP
Steepening inflation has spurred markets to price in a 25 to 50 basis point interest rate hike in April. Bond yields were steady on Thursday as the latest data did little to change those expectations.
"It (WPI) should peak towards the middle of the year and come off a little bit towards the end of the year, but still be high," said Brian Jackson, an emerging market economist with the Royal Bank of Canada in Hong Kong.
"You're still getting some pressure from the fiscal side on total demand, and that sort of highlights that current policy rates are not appropriate given where we are."
Data released on Thursday showed the food price index rose 16.30 percent in the year to March 6, lower than an annual rise of 17.81 percent in the previous week.
It was the second straight weekly easing of food price inflation and analysts expect the trend to continue as the winter-sown harvest reaches the market.
The fuel price index rose 12.68 percent in the year to March 6, up from 11.38 percent in the previous week. The federal government had hiked state-set motor fuel prices at the end of February.
Policymakers have said headline inflation would ease over the next two months, after the finance minister said it could top 10 percent in March following a reading of 9.89 percent in February.
But in a sign the government was giving the green light to a rate hike, a top policy adviser said on Wednesday the Reserve Bank of India ought to carefully consider a return to a normal monetary policy.
The central bank has to balance managing the government's record $100 billion borrowing plan for the 2010/11 fiscal year with supporting growth and taming inflation.
Rising prices have sparked opposition-backed street protests and made India's government reluctant to push through reforms such as relaxing fuel price controls, even though the ruling Congress party faces no risk of losing power any time soon.