MARCH IIP -3.50 % v/s 4.10 % :IS THIS WE CALL THE GROWTH ????

IIP DATA COMES AS A SHOCK !!!

MARCH 2012 Index of Industrial Production (IIP) which is declared by Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation came at SHOCKING -3.50 % which is complied by Central Statistic Office. The index is a composite indicator that measures the short term changes in the volumes of the industrial production.

Three sectors that constitute the index are Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity. The monthly growth rates of these three sectors for the month are for Mining (-)1.3%, Manufacturing (-)4.40% and for Electricity 2.70 %, the ministry added that as per “use – Based “ classification there has been negative growth in capital goods (-21.3%) and intermediate goods (-2.1 %) and positive growth has been achieved in basic goods (1.1%), consumer durables (0.2%) and consumer non-durables (1.0%).

The contraction was driven by particularly poor performance of the manufacturing sector, in line with weak exports that month. It is believed that April saw a turnaround, but until this is confirmed, sentiment will be weak. The data increases the odds of another rate cut, is negative for the INR, and should push INR OIS rates and bond yields down. IIP, will change the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) policy stance. RBI will not cut rates till July, but may have to start after that. Expect another 50-75 basis points rate cut in this year

BACKGROUND

• India's economy probably expanded 6.9 % in the 2011 - 12 fiscal year that ended in March, its slowest pace in three years.
• The RBI, which cut interest rates in April for the first time in three years, has forecast growth at 7.3 % in 2012 - 13.
• Expansion in manufacturing sector picked up pace in April, supported by bulging order books, but slower output growth and increasing price pressures dampened sentiment, a business survey showed.
• Growth in the services sector accelerated a touch in April thanks to a rise in new business, and optimism hit its highest level since June 2011, a survey showed last week.
• Headline inflation slowed marginally to 6.89 % in March helped by a softening in prices of manufactured goods, even as food inflation shot up. Analysts expect April inflation at 6.70 %.
• The Reserve Bank of India slashed its main lending rate - the Repo rate - by a sharper-than-expected 50 basis points in April to help revive growth. 

If we are seeing disinflation rather than deflation, what does that mean?

Disinflation is a drop in the rate at which prices rise, and does not actually mean a price fall -- at least, on a sustained basis across-the-board. For example, the WPI rate was 0.44 per cent in the week to March 7, which means prices actually rose by a tiny percentage. We call that disinflation because the WPI has been falling almost continuously since August, 2008, when the rate nearly touched 13 per cent.

In the coming weeks, if the WPI goes into negative territory, and prices actually start falling, it would still be called disinflation -- as long as the fall does not continue indefinitely. On the other hand, the US, Western Europe and Japan are closer to deflation, as their inflation rates are down and economies are actually contracting .It is to counter the threat of deflation that their governments are shovelling trillions of dollars into the credit markets, into failing banks and industries like autos.

So what will tell us if we are really into a deflationary scenario? Experts says the first signal would be a contraction in GDP. "A contraction in output (GDP) is when there will be a worry on deflation. This is happening in the US, where prices are declining and output is contracting. GDP is not contracting in India; there is only a slower rate of growth."

This, however, does not mean we have no cause for worry, or that deflation will never happen. Experts belive "More than cutting rates, ensuring the flow of credit is important. If credit does not flow then any amount of interest rate cuts will not help. We have room for cuts, but cuts should be only a part of the plan. The main objective should be credit flow, which is not happening now."

It's disinflation, not deflation, we're facing now

Today inflation number came at -- a drop to 0.27 per cent in the wholesale prices index (WPI) -- brought more worries than cheers. That's because deflation -- a situation where prices, jobs and incomes keep falling on a sustained basis, and the economy keeps contracting -- has become a new cause for worry. Is India on the way of a debilitating deflation?

INDIA is not going through deflation, just disinflation. What we have now is inflation coming down. It is coming off a high commodity price base. Deflation is when prices fall very rapidly and we haven't seen that happening. In a deflation, people stop spending because they believe that prices will fall further. That is not the situation we are in.

Though WPI for all commodities is up 0.1% at 227 (WoW) in the week ended March 14, from 226.7 in the , CPI is still hovers around 9-10 per cent levels from the double digits of 10.75 per cent. The world over, inflation is measured in CPI, not WPI. The fact that CPI is up means that the price level is still very high. The prices of food, primary articles and housing have still not fallen much. So rather than talking about deflation, policy measures should concentrate on how to bring the CPI down.