India’s current account deficit widens to 2.7% of GDP in December quarter

Mar 31, 2022

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MUMBAI: India’s present account deficit widened to $23 billion or 2.7 per cent of the GDP within the December quarter, the Reserve Financial institution mentioned on Thursday.
The well being of the present account, which is a key indicator of a rustic’s exterior energy, has deteriorated when in comparison with the previous September quarter in addition to the year-ago interval.
The deficit was at $9.9 billion or 1.3 per cent of the GDP within the second quarter of the fiscal whereas the identical stood at $2.2 billion or 0.3 per cent of the GDP within the year-ago interval, the information on Steadiness of Funds confirmed.
For the primary 9 months of the fiscal, the present account deficit got here at 1.2 per cent of the GDP as in opposition to a surplus of 1.7 per cent within the April-December 2020 interval.
The widening of the present account deficit within the December quarter was attributed by the central financial institution to pressures on the commerce deficit entrance with the hole on the products entrance rising to $60.4 billion as in opposition to $34.6 billion within the year-ago interval as a result of rising imports.
Web providers receipts elevated, each sequentially and on a year-on-year (y-o-y) foundation, on the again of sturdy efficiency of web exports of pc and enterprise providers.
Non-public switch receipts, primarily representing remittances by Indians employed abroad, got here at $23.4 billion, which is a rise of 13.1 per cent from their stage a 12 months in the past, as per the information.
Web outgo from the first earnings account, primarily reflecting web abroad funding earnings funds, elevated to $11.7 billion, which is greater when in comparison with the previous September quarter and in addition the year-ago interval.
On the monetary account entrance, the online international direct funding recorded an influx of $5.1 billion, which is decrease when in comparison with the $17.4 billion within the year-ago interval.
Non-resident deposits recorded web influx of $1.3 billion as in comparison with $3 billion in December quarter of final fiscal.
There was an accretion of $0.5 billion to the international trade reserves on a BoP foundation as in comparison with $32.5 billion within the year-ago interval.
Score company Icra’s chief economist Aditi Nayar mentioned the $23 billion deficit has undershot her expectation on a greater than anticipated final result for items, providers and secondary earnings.
Nayar mentioned she expects the hole to slim within the final quarter to $17-21 billion on the influence of the third wave on imports.
If the continuing geopolitical tensions between Ukraine and Russia push up the typical value of the Indian crude oil basket in FY23 to $105 per barrel, the present account deficit is projected to widen to $90-95 billion or 2.5 per cent of GDP in FY23, she added.
For the primary 9 months of the fiscal, the present account slipped into deficit on a more-than-doubling of the deficit within the items commerce to $135.6 billion as in opposition to $60.4 billion within the year-ago interval.
Web FDI inflows at $26.5 billion in April-December 2021 have been decrease than $41.3 billion in April-December 2020, which noticed enormous investments in ventures promoted by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries.



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