Standard & Poor's maintains negative outlook on India's rating

21 Aug 2013 Evaluate

Amid domestic currency deprecating below 64 to a dollar, global rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) has maintained negative outlook (BBB- sovereign credit ratings) for the country and said that high capital outflows and depreciating rupee is adversely impacting investors’ confidence. Present, S&P BBB- is the lowest investment grade and a downgrade would push the country’s sovereign rating to junk status, making overseas borrowings by Indian corporates costlier.

S&P said that the recent measures announced by the government to restrict capital outflow has increased uncertainties among foreign and domestic investors and if uncertainty continues, business financing conditions could deteriorate further and investment growth could slow further. S&P added that investments into the country continue to be stifled by inadequate infrastructure, rigidities in labour and product markets, and red tape, among other issues. Further, the rating agency said that its future credit rating action would depend upon the response of policymakers to the latest economic developments. Meanwhile, India's long term growth prospects could weaken on a sustained basis, with negative implications for the sovereign credit fundamentals.

Earlier, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on August 14 announced stern measures, including curbs on Indian firms investing abroad and on outward remittances by resident Indians in order to check the sliding rupee. A sliding rupee, which is mainly on account of widening Current Account Deficit (CAD), will make imports costlier and fuel subsidy bill. Conversely, the country’s CAD had touched a record high of $88.2 billion or 4.8 percent of GDP in FY13.

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