The US President announced last day from the public platform and in no uncertain terms that the financial crisis will be set right, come what may. He meant to convey that the govt is besieged of the problem and has planned to take comprehensive action along with the G7 nations and also under consultation with G20 (India included). The G7 finance ministers have arrived in US, our FM has dropped plan to go there.
We have had trouble on our bourses due to portfolio investments by FIIs who have just one thing in mind and that is to get whatever they can for the stocks held as the need to meet obligation at home is over-riding (you may recall my warnings at the peaking market time last year that the FIIs exit is not normally done, it is done in a rush). When the exit is without evaluation of the item being sold, the panic naturally sets in. The settlements going smoothly in such scenario is for some to praise and the withstanding of the such windy times by the Indian banking and financial universe is going to make it a more preferred centre of financial exchange.
You may also recall that the shadow of the crisis was there last year itself and I had reported it while also admitting that the extent and the timing is difficult to judge. However, I maintain that troubling times in west will eventually have no bearing on India and if at all some thing happens it is going to be accelerating economic development of India and more particularly its being a nation worthy of absorbing the world’s saving surpluses which found no 'safe parking places' in developed nations of the world. The forced parking of such funds by the investment bankers is the root cause of trouble. When it will be analysed as to who got hurt the most, it will be noticed that while the investment banks got out of business and equity holders of the same institutions got nothing for their share-holding in some cases and got some pittance for the transfer of equity to the bailing out entity (govts included). The group suffering the most would be the ones who placed their money for management to these investment bankers who would get what ever is salvaged after making the borrowers (mortgage holders) some concessions and after suffering the loss on transfer of investment to new buyer (at current lower rates) after the market is established by the injection of funds by central bankers. These owners of funds under management kitty of the investment banker belonged to savers (the savings for future consumption). Such times came for the world order and did not allow the savers of yesteryear to have claim on future production of goods and services to the extent expected/desired or planned for (remember the adage ‘Laxmi is Chanchalaa’ ie riches are nimble footed). The greed to not only preserve value for the future consumption but also to grow it more on the strength of high interest albeit at high cost had to and did boomerang. The investment bankers created faulty atmosphere of optimism and all in the interest of earning hefty commission and fees by promising to increase wealth through sheer foolhardy and speculation.
The other cross current was that the world represented by two big ancient nations ie China and India had woken up to have their rightful share in world’s mineral wealth and and retaining their own for self use by increasing productivity of labour and capital and through benefits flowing on account of size of market domestically. Isn’t India ready to be the hub of export of vehicle of every size and use in a span of fifteen years. It is the result of optimum level of production achievable here. This advantage is not going to go away and would increase so the slow down fears are basically un-founded in India. However, China may go with some years of adjustments and pains due to the need to organise the markets more based on natural exchanges and make them more free. There is only a muted resentment for its controlled exchange regime which will be openly decried by USA and the rest. We Indians have therefore an edge over every body else. The shot in arm has come in the form if the Nuke freedom is used for peaceful uses. There is an immense scope for absorption of world’s saving as every unit of capital invested here in infrastructure projects (like railways, roadways, air-ports, dams, power projects,sea terminals and the tourist sites related) at nominal rate of interest (not high) which will be generating surplus to be shared by all the stake-holders. It is for this reason that FDI has not slowed down even in face of such crises, the world over. Indian markets for the goods and services are not going to shrink due to millions in villages. It is going to form the buyers’ universe as opposed to city centres based demand. There may be a slow down like in 1998 and 2001 but it will only be for creating some gap for breathing after running at high pitch. This would not be bad for a marathon running spree.
Now, visualise that the sellers in markets were coming perforce and were selling willy-nilly while the buyer was coming reluctantly due to the atmosphere confusing him. Has there ever been such a grand opportunity for making an entry. Haven’t you wondered that more than the real decline in earnings it is possibility of slower growth that is weighing heavily on minds of people. Further, the crisis at hand of the world economies has created an atmosphere of sudden impulsive growth due to increase in money stock. As the normalcy will return, the case of too much money chasing too few goods and investibles will follow suit. Again I would say that the inflation in India is working as friend of investor not otherwise. The welcome gesture finally to happen is the lowering of bench-mark interest rates by RBI. Didn’t you read earlier that increasing money supply is easiest of task for the govts, it is taxing every pocket without having to collect it effort fully. When this is may save economies why would they think twice, no body is going to blame them for this for it will be for a noble cause.
Now, one thing is clear that we have to have central bank of the world and a world currency which should have some controlled issuance and which should be currency for international trade and local currencies may have there own conversion rates under guidance from the local central bank. Why do we need to base international trade in currencies of countries who have fragile financial systems themselves.
HariOm,
Krsna Khandelwal
BIRDINFO Stock Rx - A prescription for stock market
0 comments:
Post a Comment