Sunday, October 05, 2003
Lower interest rates and the Indian economy
(Via Pseumo) I got this story on interest rates in the mail, and I thought it made for a fascinating read. Rajiv Lall, of Warburg Pincus, writes in the Business Standard on the dramatic impact the lower cost of capital has had on the Indian economy, to the extent that he predicts that India will start to outperform China in the next 5 years.
Over the past three years, borrowing rates have declined by about 600 basis points for most medium to large sized enterprises in the country. Whereas such companies were paying 14 per cent on one-year loans three years ago, today they are paying only 8 per cent. Borrowing rates for some of the largest corporates are up to 200 basis points lower.
Consider the following: Every 10 per cent fall in interest rates leads on average to a 30 per cent increase in profits before tax (PBT) for larger Indian corporations. For firms in manufacturing that operate with higher levels of debt relative to the average for all companies (companies in the less asset intensive service industries can operate with lower debt-equity ratios), the impact on PBT of declining interest costs is likely to have been even larger.
Given that borrowing costs for larger corporates have fallen as much as 40 per cent in the past three years, profits before tax for these companies have more than doubled, raising returns on equity to well above the cost of capital. Suddenly, even manufacturing activity is looking like an attractive proposition in India.
Over the past three years, borrowing rates have declined by about 600 basis points for most medium to large sized enterprises in the country. Whereas such companies were paying 14 per cent on one-year loans three years ago, today they are paying only 8 per cent. Borrowing rates for some of the largest corporates are up to 200 basis points lower.
Consider the following: Every 10 per cent fall in interest rates leads on average to a 30 per cent increase in profits before tax (PBT) for larger Indian corporations. For firms in manufacturing that operate with higher levels of debt relative to the average for all companies (companies in the less asset intensive service industries can operate with lower debt-equity ratios), the impact on PBT of declining interest costs is likely to have been even larger.
Given that borrowing costs for larger corporates have fallen as much as 40 per cent in the past three years, profits before tax for these companies have more than doubled, raising returns on equity to well above the cost of capital. Suddenly, even manufacturing activity is looking like an attractive proposition in India.
