CAD rises to 2.1% of GDP in FY19

01 Jul 2019 Evaluate

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its latest data has showed that India’s Current account deficit (CAD), the excess of country’s imports over exports, has rose to $57.2 billion or 2.1 percent of GDP for the fiscal year ended March 2019 (FY19) as compared to compared to $48.7 billion or 1.8 percent a year ago, amid a general slowdown in the economy. It also indicated that for FY19, the deficit widened despite a narrowing of the same in the fourth quarter of FY19 to $4.6 billion or 0.7 percent of GDP, as against $27.7 billion or 2.7 percent in the December quarter and $13 billion or 1.8 percent in the fourth quarter of FY18.

According to the data, overall trade performance was the prime influencer for both the contraction in CAD for the March quarter as well as a widening for the full year. It noted that a lower trade deficit of $35.2 billion in the March quarter, compared to $41.6 billion in the year-ago period helped in CAD contraction. Similarly, it said an increase in trade deficit to $180.3 billion for the year as a whole as against $160 billion in the year-ago period led to the widening of the CAD in FY19.

Data further showed that net services receipts increased 5.8 percent to $21.3 billion on the back of a rise in net earnings from telecommunications, computer and information services during the March quarter. Private transfer receipts, representing mainly the remittances by expat Indians, declined by 0.9 percent to $17.9 billion in the March quarter. The net foreign direct investment stood at $6.4 billion in March quarter, the same level as the year-ago period, and rose marginally to $30.7 billion for the year as a whole.

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