GDP Growth Seen Gaining Pace In The Third Quarter
The Indian economy is expected to have picked up pace in the October-December quarter due to stronger growth across services and industry.
Government data due to be released on Wednesday is likely to show a pick up in gross value added growth to 6.7 percent in the third quarter of the current fiscal, according to a Bloomberg survey. This compares to 6.1 percent growth in the second quarter and 6.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. Gross domestic product growth is seeing rising to 7 percent compared to 6.3 percent in the second quarter. GVA has become a preferred measure of economic growth as it strips out the impact of indirect taxes and subsidies.
Economists expect the growth recovery that began in the second quarter to gather pace in the third quarter. A rebound in industrial activity, which is likely to stabilise after GST related disruptions, is expected to push growth higher, along with strength in the services segment. GST was implemented starting July 1 and led to some volatility in production cycles.
We expect economic recovery that started in Q2 to continue its upward climb in the third quarter to 6.9 percent (real GDP, YoY) slightly lower than 7 percent registered in the corresponding period of last year but significantly higher than 6.3 percent clocked in Q2 of the current fiscal. For the year as a whole, we expect GDP growth to be around 6.5 percent (with possible upside), implying a residual of 7.2 percent for the fourth quarter.HDFC Bank Report

Among key sectors, economists are expecting to see a pick-up in both manufacturing and construction.
Rating agency ICRA expects GVA growth in the manufacturing segment to rise to 7.5 percent in the third quarter, compared to 7 percent in the second quarter. GVA growth in the construction sector is expected to rise to 6.5 percent in the October-December quarter compared to a modest 2.6 percent in the July-September period. A pick-up in construction is expected based on the trends seen in sales of inputs like cement and steel, said an ICRA report.
Growth in agriculture is seen moderating to 1.5 percent compared to 1.7 percent in the last quarter, the report said.
After muted activity during H1 FY2018, partly on account of the structural transition to the Goods and Services Tax, signs of a pick-up in economic growth are starting to appear. Higher growth in volumes in manufacturing and some of the services sub-sectors and in the Government of India's expenditure, a favourable base effect and an improvement in corporate earnings are expected to contribute to a sequential recovery in GVA growth.Aditi Nayar, Principal Economist, ICRA

The Indian economy has been hit by twin shocks - demonetisation and GST - over the past 18 months. Both have led to disruption in economic activity, which is only now starting to rebound. For the full financial year 2018-19, the Reserve Bank of India has pegged growth at 7.2 percent compared to 6.6 percent in the current year. A modest revival in the investment cycle along with a pick-up in exports is expected to support this recovery, the RBI said.
Minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee released last week showed that some members of the panel saw the recovery as nascent. RBI governor Urjit Patel cited the need to support this nascent recovery as one reason for voting for a status quo on interest rates.
Also Read: India Sees FY18 GDP Growth At 6.5%
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
-
Indians Are Travelling, But Not Every Journey Is A Holiday | The Week In Whys
Pilgrims, patients and working women are the real travellers, and the system hasn't quite caught up with them.
-
Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
-
AI Bias In Investing Cannot Be Eliminated, But It Can Be Governed
Framing is a particularly important example as identical financial information presented in terms of gains rather than losses can lead an LLM to reach a different assessment.
-
Joining The Dots | Dark Skies, Steady Diya: Why Hope Holds This Diwali
With war, a weak rupee and foreign outflows weighing on sentiment, policymakers at the NDTV World Summit and market veterans at NDTV Profit Ignite: Diwali Edition offered the same advice: stay invested and filter out the noise.
-
The Curious Case of Equitas Small Finance Bank And A CEO Who Quit For Stock
PN Vasudevan believes persistent investor concerns over a perceived conflict of interest had become a governance overhang on Equitas Small Finance Bank's stock, even as the lender improved profitability and asset quality.
-
Talking Points This Week: AI Cash Burn, A Tiger Comeback And An India That Still Finds Its Own Path
India is not immune to higher oil or tighter global liquidity, yet its earnings base is broader, its domestic policy levers are still available.
-
Foreign Investors Own Half Of HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. An LTCG Cut Could Matter Most Here
Foreign portfolio investors have US$115 billion parked in HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank. If the government cuts long-term capital gains tax, Jefferies says returning foreign money could land here first.
-
'Never Seen This Level Of Negativity': Sandeep Tandon Says The Next Rally May Be Closer Than You Think
Veteran investor Sandeep Tandon says foreign selling is easing, large-caps are due a comeback and mid-caps are crowded, while he turns positive on gold, power and pharma this Diwali.
-
Indians Stay With Family, Not In Hotels | The Reason Why
India still lacks enough clean, reliable and affordable hotels for budget-conscious travellers.