Wednesday, October 23, 2013

RBI should not meddle with INR - the new media hoopla !



As suggested earlier in my blogs that the INR should be allowed to float free and it will be best that it finds its own inherent value. Not only country’s CAD has evaporated at the levels which the INR has brushed over the period of last month, but the trade deficit too has significantly diminished.
 
This could only have been possible with the depreciation of the INR, though some would argue that this depreciation would cause inflationary pressures. But these pressures shall be short term which will subside over a longer term. The currency’s depreciation will have miniscule effect on the inflation as a whole.

It has been proved since time immortal that a weak currency always helps in the exports, whatever little may it be. It eventually adds up to the growth of a nation.

Take for example the Japanese Yen. The Yen has been allowed to float from levels of 80 against USD to levels of almost 100. A weak currency doesn’t only help make exports more competitive but also intrigues the local industry to innovate as imports start becoming expensive. It ensures that the local businesses do not become complacent and coerces them to alter, transform and operate more proficiently.

As the world’s 2nd largest democracy goes into general elections next year, there is but no doubt that the RBI governor will have to restrict the movement of INR in an attempt to display a healthy growth story to its ill-informed citizens.

But my standpoint has ever remained same that the INR should be allowed to be fully convertible without any restrictions. Value of any country’s currency doesn’t necessarily determine the financial growth of it. INR is valued at to 1.6 to a YEN, does that mean India is more advanced/developed than Japan. Think! 

It’s only the media that is always trying to influence, when the INR started depreciating and now as to how much RBI should control the rise of the INR. RBI will do good by not meddling with the value of INR and will be better off trying just to prevent excessive volatility in the INR.

1 comment:

  1. U dng a good job here...the blog page itself looks quite interesting now!!
    Ya u argument is right abt the weak currency as China for years has artificially maintained a weak Yuan against the USD in spite of the fact that the US is strongly against it and tries hard at the WTO...
    This itself leads to a huge trade deficit in the US which runs into trillions and a trade surplus in China which likewise is in trillions

    The RBI under Mr Rajan took a good step in trying to settle the imports from Iran in INR which would greatly help us reduce the deficit as well (Iran supplies the highest shipments of crude to India)
    Gold is a pain though, I hope soon Indians stop flocking to the nearest jeweler with bag full of cash...I guess stringent laws like mandatory PAN card requirement should help but let us see!!
    Cheers!!

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