Current Account Deficit Narrows to $1.4 Bn in Dec Quarter: RBI

The RBI headquarters in Mumbai. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Reuters)

The country's current account deficit (CAD) narrowed sharply to USD 1.4 billion, or 0.2 per cent of GDP, for the December 2019 quarter, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Thursday, 12 March.

The deficit had stood at 2.7 percent in the corresponding quarter a year ago and 0.9 percent in the previous quarter.

The sharp contraction in the deficit was mainly due to a lower trade deficit of USD 34.6 billion, and a rise in net services receipts, the central bank said.

The CAD, a critical indicator of the macroeconomic health, represents the gap between the overall foreign exchange expended and received in the economy. The release of the data, coming at a time when markets are spooked due to the coronavirus concerns, will help provide hope to investors.

The foreign exchange market tracks the gap closely, and the release of the data comes on a day when the rupee depreciated to a 17-month low of 74.24 against the dollar. During the 'taper tantrum' episode of 2013, the CAD at record highs was one of the reasons for the rupee to be hammered.

For the first nine months of the financial year, the CAD has narrowed to 1 percent, the RBI said.

During the December 2019 quarter, the trade deficit narrowed to USD 34.6 billion as against USD 49.3 billion for the same period a year ago, the RBI data said adding that the dip was largely driven by a correction in imports.

The Indian economic growth may slow to a decadal low of 5 percent for the financial year 2019-20, driven largely by consumption, which seems to have impacted the imports as well.

On the services front, the net earnings increased to USD 21.9 billion, which was marginally higher as compared to the USD 21.7 billion in the year-ago period.

The RBI said the receipts increased on the back of a rise in net earnings from computer, travel and financial services.

In what can be seen as a surge in remittances by the diaspora, the private transfer receipts rose 9 percent to USD 20.6 billion for the quarter, the RBI said.

The net foreign direct investment was also higher at USD 10 billion in the December 2019 quarter, as against USD 7.3 billion in the year-ago period.

Foreign portfolio investments recorded a net inflow of USD 7.8 billion as against an outflow of USD 2.1 billion last year on account of net purchases in both the debt and equity market, it said.

The external commercial borrowings by Indian companies increased to USD 3.2 billion for the quarter, up from the USD 2 billion in the year-ago period, the RBI said.

There was an accretion of USD 21.6 billion to the foreign exchange reserves on a balance of payment basis as against a depletion of USD 4.3 billion in the third quarter, the RBI said.