Happy Thursdays! Food inflation corrects – Welcome 2012

The 14% contribution of the food inflation may well bring cheer to the WPI number as Food caught a -3.36% score for the week ended December 24th to bring primary articles to 0.10% from a low 3% number last week and fuel remained suspended at 14.6% for another 25-30% of the basket. Everyuthing else in tow, Foreign inflows should make it a memorable 2012 for India but our local interests and trades of high volumes seem to have caught the index midway to the bottom. Actually there is perhaps just 15% left but one having to agree at these rates and settle down with MTM losses on my 10% risky allocation to the emergin g market play is hardly going to be the likely scenario so one will have to wait considerably more for furious inflows into equity even as markets catch a break below 47 and promptly lose it at 4750 over the last two months. Not a very good advertisement for foreign and local investors. 

Of course QFIs have been welcomed, buybacks allowed with direct auctions on the exchanges to bring equity to a 75% cap and individual investors allowed to enter Indian equity exposures from January 15, following on the ealrier invitation to Individual foreign investors in mutual funds. NO one expected an immediate surge but if that is because of no printed word on the how and why, the regulator should have no problem obliging witht hat as well. 

RBI is admitting that we need more FX buffers now as companies have picked up large amounts of short term debt and while the rush to repay is on and amany with good governance have survived the MTM losses massacre before it began, India’s current account may already face a stretch to buy the oil it needs every other month