indian Rupee hits new low of 54.82 per dollar

[bindaas]

HP just announced 25,000 layoffs. There is an IT recession coming.

What's funny is all the doom and gloom about China by Indians, turned out the Chinese members were 100% right about India.

China's economic growth falls to near 3-year low | Business | guardian.co.uk

 

[ChinaToday]

Unable to pursue more meaningful actions, Pranab Mukherjee & co begged for a higher credit rating from Fitch to slow the rupee's plunge

India's finance ministry on Thursday begged Fitch Ratings to take a less jaundiced view of the country's sovereign debt in a bid to slow the rupee's seemingly unstoppable plunge without taking tough political decisions to cut government spending.

“We pitched for a ratings upgrade,” the Hindustan Times quoted a finance ministry official as saying. “We told them: look at FDI inflows, look at the returns in the market. We said we are committed to capping subsidy at 2% of GDP.”

Translation: “Please, please, please, please help us save the Droopee!”

Fitch last rated India's foreign and local currency debt at BBB-/stable in 2010, according to the HT. But things have gone seriously south since then, and the slide has accelerated dramatically in 2012. Meanwhile, last month Standard & Poor's (S&P) downgraded India's credit outlook to negative “in a sign that the Indian government may be on a dangerous course toward borrowing beyond its capacity to repay,” the paper said.

The Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex has lost 8 percent since March 16, when Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee unveiled the new government budget. The rupee has sunk 10 percent against the dollar in the last three months, setting new all-time lows on an almost daily basis. Foreign institutional investors pulled out nearly a billion dollars in April alone. Meanwhile on Thursday a financial adviser to the prime minister, and former central bank governor, told the Indian Express that the bank's usual market interventions to mop up rupees wouldn't be enough to stem losses, and the PM needs to do something to lure back those fleeing dollars. Moreover, an unexpected increase in inflation in April has “considerably diminished” the bank's ability to buy rupees.

“We need to take measures to encourage capital flows. Foreign direct investment will be influenced by better growth prospects. We need to allay some of the concerns of FIIs to encourage investment in equity and debt,” the PM’s Economic Advisory Council chairman C Rangarajan told The Indian Express.

With the euro zone crisis on everybody's mind, several Indian papers wonder (most likely prematurely) whether India has the potential to become another Greece. So what's the prognosis?

"Given the local economic problems and global turbulence, there’s a good chance the Sensex could tumble further to 15,000 in the short term; in the worst-case scenario, it could plunge all the way to 12,000," writes FirstPost.com. "The rupee has also hit a new all-time low of 54.56 against the US dollar, and bets are increasing that it could tumble to 60 in the next 12 months." (On Thursday, the Sensex closed at 16,070.5).

India's easy options include raising the cap on foreign investment in corporate bonds from the current $20 billion, selling dollars to oil companies directly, and floating government-backed bonds to attract investment from non-resident Indians, the HT said.

But, like Greece, India needs to make some unpopular moves to cut the deficit. The difference is that India is already a country without much in the way of a social safety net, with hundreds of millions living below the poverty line. So spending cuts need to be targeted carefully and accompanied by measures to raise funds and stimulate growth (despite the resulting increase in inflation). That means making progress on reforms like the proposed value-added tax, but maybe also action on loosening the rules on FDI in retail, since the government is so desperate for dollars.

Will it happen? Stay tuned.

India FM:

 

[miss]

I wish.

Anyway, China is backing Modi instead of Congress. So our leaders must think he has some chance.

China rolls out red carpet for Narendra Modi - Times Of India

MOdi wont happen, there are too many people on the Left to let this happen.
india again will never be the super fast growing evonomy, nor will it grow from rags to riches like Asian tigers or china or even asean because of the very glue tht holds it together - democracy.
Chinese leadership told its countrymen, let one part of china(coastal region) become rich first and focussed on it. Ini india we cant dream of that.
But nevertheless as long as we are afloat and thriving , be a responsible and respected country I will have no compliants

 

[Aramsogo]

India also just ranked number 1 is the world in the new Bloomberg gasoline/petro pain index. One gallon of gas in India is like worth a bazzilion hours of Indian labour.

Highest & Cheapest Gas Prices by Country: Pain at the Pump - Bloomberg

 

[Abhishek_]

fitch must not listen to GOI. a deeper decline is needed to get the reforms going again.

 

[ChinaToday]

A sound economy policy is what will save india not a higher credit rating seem like india is try to do another shortcut.

 

[Abhishek_]

A sound economy policy is what will save india not a higher credit rating seem like india is try to do another shortcut.

i agree, GOI is acting like a little girl. They need to get their $hit together or face an ouster in the coming elections

 

[shuntmaster]

And all this from a blog....
Why is a big deal made of currency value fluctuations? Devaluation of the rupee on short term it will lead to some inflationary pressure, but on the long term will be beneficial to the economy with exports becoming more competitive..

 

[Aramsogo]

India has over $303 billion in external debts as of Q4 2011. Over $80 billion is short term. Ouch!!
That 10 years of external debt financed growth is coming to an end.

 

[karan.1970]

India has over $303 billion in external debts as of Q4 2011. Over $80 billion is short term. Ouch!!
That 10 years of external debt financed growth is coming to an end.

ever heard of short term debt coverage ratios?? how does India figure on that one?? (using the forex reserves of 300 billion USD) ??

 

[shuntmaster]

India has over $303 billion in external debts as of Q4 2011. Over $80 billion is short term. Ouch!!
That 10 years of external debt financed growth is coming to an end.

So what? China's external debt is $700billion. Even US has external debts almost equal to its GDP, but is still rated AAA+

 

[Aramsogo]

So what? China's external debt is $700billion. Even US has external debts..

Lol, droopee isn't a reserve currency.

ever heard of short term debt coverage ratios?? how does India figure on that one?? (using the forex reserves of 300 billion USD) ??

Ever heard of a bank run ?

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

India's "external debt" is bigger than their currency reserves.

Whereas China's currency reserves alone are about $3.2 trillion.

On topic: Begging in front of a credit ratings agency, is probably the fastest way to convince them that you are not credit-worthy.

 

[Abhishek_]

Ever heard of a bank run ?

try to stay on point

India's "external debt" is bigger than their currency reserves.

Whereas China's currency reserves alone are about $3.2 trillion.

On topic: Begging in front of a credit ratings agency, is probably the fastest way to convince them that you are not credit-worthy.

agreed, GOI is throwing stupid tantrums instead of working to resolve issues.

 

[somebozo]

India's "external debt" is bigger than their currency reserves.

Whereas China's currency reserves alone are about $3.2 trillion.

On topic: Begging in front of a credit ratings agency, is probably the fastest way to convince them that you are not credit-worthy.

Reminds me of those unworthy clients begging their banker for an upgrade on their credit card limit..