India’s external sector resilient to taper tantrums, says Economic Survey

Jan 31, 2022

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NEW DELHI: Robust exports, capital inflows, low present account deficit and excessive foreign exchange reserves makes India higher ready to face exterior shocks, the Financial Survey stated on Monday.
In current months, scaling again of pandemic-related stimulus programme amidst persistent inflationary pressures in superior economies, significantly the US, have reignited some fears of taper tantrum.
Nonetheless, the survey stated India’s exterior sector is resilient to such exterior shocks arising out of tightening of the financial coverage stance in coming months.
It studied the efficiency of key vulnerability indicators like overseas alternate reserves, exterior debt to GDP ratio, short-term debt to GDP ratio and some extra and in contrast ranges of three intervals – gross monetary disaster (FY 2009), taper-tantrum (FY 2014) and first half of FY22.
The comparability turns into essential because the US Federal Reserve would possibly go for taper tantrum to curb hovering inflation.
At $633.6 billion, foreign exchange reserves are at close to report ranges.

As a result of accretion of huge overseas alternate reserves in current months, vulnerability indicators referring to reserves akin to reserves to complete exterior debt, reserves to short-term debt (residual maturity), reserve cowl of imports, have proven marked enchancment in first half of FY22 as in comparison with FY14, the taper tantrum yr.
India’s web IIP to GDP ratio — one of many key vulnerability indicators — declined to -11.3 per cent as in opposition to -18.2 per cent in FY14.
The present account witnessed a surplus of 0.9 per cent within the Q1 of 2021-22 on high of comparable surplus in 2020-21 after a spot of 17 years. It had skilled the best ever present account deficit of 4.8 per cent of GDP in 2012-13 on the again of an equally massive deficit of 4.3 per cent throughout 2011-12.
Therefore, Indian economic system has exhibited larger resilience to the present episode of taper to date.

What’s Taper Tantrum
Taper tantrum phenomenon refers back to the scenario in 2013 when rising markets witnessed capital outflows and spike in inflation after the US Federal Reserve began to place brakes on its quantitative easing programme.
It has launched into a programme of asset purchases as part of broader coverage response to world monetary disaster in 2007-08.
Because the US economic system gained traction, it tried the unwind the quantitative easing. On Could 22, 2013, the Feb introduced intent to begin tapering asset purchases at a future date.
This triggered a tantrum within the type of spike in bond yields and resulted in disruptions on the exterior entrance for India as nicely.
When the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, the Fed began shopping for $80 billion value treasury securities advert $40 billion company mortgage-backed securities (MBS) every month since June 2020.
In late July 2021, the Fed signalled that it could begin lowering the quantity of its bond purchases later within the yr. Nonetheless, in November the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) unanimously voted to cut back its asset
purchases.
Following them, Reserve Financial institution of Australian additionally deserted its yield curve goal. Financial institution of Canada progressively tapered its asset purchases. Thus, the long-awaited taper course of has already been commenced by sure main central banks.
Impression on India: Then & now
Within the rapid aftermath of the taper tantrum in 2013, India skilled portfolio outflows aggregating to Rs 79,375 crore from capital markets, together with Rs 19,165 crore from fairness markets and Rs 60,210 crore from debt markets throughout Could 23-August 30, 2013.
Its exterior debt to GDP ratio was excessive at 23.9 per cent, whereas reserves to complete debt ratio was low at 68.2 per cent.
Nonetheless, the most recent announcement of discount in asset purchases on November 3, 2021 by the Fed had comparatively muted affect on portfolio flows.
The full outflows amounted to Rs 34,178 crore, comprising Rs 29,168 crore from fairness markets and Rs 5,010 crore from debt markets in the course of the interval November-January 20, 2022.
Thus, acknowledging India’s transformation from being among the many ‘fragile 5’ nations in wake of the sooner episode to the 4th largest foreign exchange reserve holder in the course of the present episode, the Financial Survey stated: “Indian economic system stands guarded with an added benefit of loads of coverage room for manoeuvring as the method of normalisation of financial coverage by systematically vital central banks takes maintain.”



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