National income can be defined as the part of the objective income of the community including income derived from abroad which can be measured in money i.e the money value of goods and services which is produced and made available for consumption in an economy for a particular period which is usually a year. National income, also known as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is very helpful to the economists to track the economic growth’s rate, average living standard in one country as well as the distribution of income between different groups of population (i.e. inequality gap). For measuring the national income, the national economy is viewed as follows: The national economy is considered as an aggregate of producing units combining different sectors such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing and trade and commerce. The whole national economy is viewed as a combination of individuals and household owning different kinds of factors of Continue reading
Indian Economy
Definition of Inflation – Types of Inflation
Definition of Inflation Inflation is commonly understood as a situation of substantial and rapid general increase in the price level and consequent fall the value of money over a period of time. Inflation means persistent rise in the general level of prices. Inflation is a long term operating dynamic process. By and large, inflation is also a monetary phenomenon. It is usually characterized by an overflow of money and credit. In fact, the root cause of inflation is the expansion of money supply beyond the normal absorbing capacity of the economy. The behavior of general prices is measured through price indices. The trend of price indices reveals the course of inflation or deflation in the economy. Read More about Inflation: Causes and Effects of Inflation The Stages of Inflation Inflation in a Developing Economy Definition of Inflation by Different Economists There is no generally accepted definition of inflation and different Continue reading
Financial Sector Reforms in India
In India, a decade old on-going financial reforms have transformed the operating environment of the finance sector from an administrative regime to a competitive market base system. Since mid-1991, a number of reforms have been introduced in the financial sector in India. Rangarajan once noted that domestic financial liberalization has brought about the deregulation of interest rates, dismantling of directed credit, reforming the banking system, improving the functioning of the capital market, including the government securities market. The main emphasis on the financial sector reform has been on the banking system so as to improve the performance of public sector banks. The Narasimhan Committee constituted in 1991 laid the foundation for the revamping of the financial sector in India. The Committee had submitted two reports– in 1992 and 1998 which gave immense importance on enhancing the efficiency and viability of this sector. Taking a cue from the developments in the Continue reading
Measures of Selective Credit Control for Banking
Qualitative or selective credit control policy refers to the set of policies implemented by the central bank in order to channelize the available credit in-the desired direction. For example, suppose in India the agricultural and small scale industry sectors are to be encouraged, then the RBI may direct the commercial banks to be more liberal in lending to these sectors and be strict while lending to other sectors. This will help the economy to provide ample opportunities for the priority sectors to grow. In other words, in every country the government determines in advance the priorities and to ensure that the banks conform to the priorities in their lending policies, the selective credit control policies are implemented. Hence, while the quantitative credit control policies aim at controlling the volume of credit created, and the money supply in the economy, the qualitative credit control policies help in using the available funds Continue reading
Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) – Meaning, Types, Benefits and Risks
Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs), investment vehicles of Governments are increasingly seen in action through acquisition of either natural resources like oil and gas fields or equity holdings in MNCs. While the reasons for establishing a SWF may vary from commercial to strategic ones, SWFs’ influence on the countries and corporate is substantial. Since they mostly stay invested for a long-term they do not pose threat of pulling out in the short term and creating huge volatility in the financial markets. Since their investment corpus run to billions, by staying invested for a long time, they have a stabilizing effect on the capital market even during crashes and short term fluctuations. However, regulations and guidelines of the SWF also needs to be put in place in order to avoid it from exercising any soft control or strategic moves that may affect the sovereignty of the country allowing investments. Sovereign Wealth Funds Continue reading
Junk Bonds in India
Sharp movements in the Indian equity market may be par for the course. But when it comes to the market for corporate bonds, it’s constantly stagnant. The reason is, we don’t have a corporate bond market. But this is overwhelmingly dominated by government securities (about 80% of the total). Of the remaining, close to 80% again comprises privately placed debt of public financial institutions. An efficient bond market helps corporate reduce their financing costs. It enables companies to borrow directly from investors, bypassing the major intermediary role of a commercial bank. One of the important instruments in corporate market is Junk Bonds which could be great source of financing for countries like India where markets are not much regulated. A speculative bond rated BB or below, “Junk bonds” are generally issued by corporations of questionable financial strength or without proven track records. They tend to be more volatile and higher Continue reading