- Prologue
- [Act 1] Theory recap
- [Act 2] WPI inflation trend: Survey points
- [Act 3] CPI inflation trend: Survey points
- [Act 4] IIP Trend: survey points
- [Act 5] Trend in international market (2014-15)
- [Act 6] How can Government fight inflation?
- Appendix: Actual STUPID numbers WPI, CPI, IIP
Prologue
Chapter 4: Prices and Monetary Management. Three subparts
- Monetary management, measures of money supply, Urjit Patel
- Indexes’ Theory: WPI, CPI, IIP, Services index and others
- Indexes’ Current: Survey observations on WPI, CPI & IIP, How to combat inflation.
Wait…what happened to remaining chapters?
- Ch. 8 to 13 published as articles.
- Chapter 1 to 3; 5 to 7 available as powerpoint and videos. (Will release them as articles after prelims and its “unofficial” answerkey.)
[Act 1] Theory recap
Make sure, you’ve read earlier part for the theory. Overall gist can be summarized in following table:
QUESTION | WPI | CPI | IIP |
---|---|---|---|
HOW? | Lespeyre’s formula | same | same |
WHO? | Economic advisor | CSO | CSO |
WHEN? | weekly & monthly | monthly | monthly |
WHERE they get data? | ministries, dept., industries | NSSO and Postal workers | ministries, dept, bodies |
Components | 3: MFG > Primary > Fuel | 5 categories | 3: MFG > Mining >electricity |
types | only one WPI | Rural, urban, combined | Sector wise and goods Usage wise. |
items | 676 | 682 | |
base year | 2004 | 2010 | 2004 |
CORE | non-food manufacturing | headline – (food+fuel) | 8 industries |
Now, what does Economic Survey Chapter 4 say about these indexes?
[Act 2] WPI inflation trend: Survey points
- WPI food inflation has remained persistently high during 2013-14,
- Peak: 11.95% in 2013-Q3
- Two reason: high inflation in food + fuel.
- Food: high inflation in cereals, fruits, vegetables, and eggs, fish and meat. Reason: structural factors (APMC, hoarding) and seasonal factors. + juntaa’s income increased hence buying more protein.
- Fuel inflation has remained in double digits, because
- Rupee weakened against dollar after rumors of Fed Tapering in 2013.
- Global crude prices became volatile after geopolitical crisis in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine.
- Oil marketing companies are allowed to revise retail prices of diesel upto 50 paise per month.
- In many states, Electricity tariffs were revised, and increased.
Headline vs Core WPI inflation
Headline WPI |
|
Core WPI inflation |
|
- Core WPI inflation also increased because inflationary pressure within the chemicals, machinery and textile groups.
- HSBC’s purchasing managers index (PMI) also showing correlation with WPI core inflation.
- Therefore looking at PMI trend, survey believes, that core-WPI will also increase in upcoming months.
[Act 3] CPI inflation trend: Survey points
Headline CPI |
|
Core CPI |
|
Housing |
|
Economic Survey observation for 2013-14:
- CPI inflation remained close to double digits during a large part of the year
- Within CPI, Rural CPI inflation has been higher than urban
- ~50% of inflation in CPI is because food. (For last three years).
- Within that, 80% of inflation coming from vegetables, cereals and protein items.
[Act 4] IIP Trend: survey points
- For last two years, Industrial sector has lost momentum due to supply-side and demand-side constraints.
- Slowdown in mining and manufacturing activity.
- Slowdown in private investment, gross fix capital formation.
Now let’s check a few specific industries within IIP
Mining and Power
Coal |
|
Natural gas |
|
Iron |
|
Power generation |
|
Manufacturing
Manufacturing = ~60% of industrial GDP. But slowed down because
- Higher bank interest
- Infrastructure bottlenecks
- Low demand- both domestic and foreign
- Inflation= input costs increased.
- Automobile sector: Juntaa’s per capita income is low. So can’t grow much even if we want.
- Consumer durables sales declined. Especially, gems and jewellery, passenger cars, colour TV sets, and telephone instruments.
- Globally, one of the fastest growing manufacturing sectors= electronics. But we don’t have technological edge like S.Korea, China, Apple or Samsung.
8 Core industries in IIP
- Within IIP, following 8 are core industries because they’ve impact on almost all other economic activities:
- coal, fertilizer, electricity, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, steel, and cement.
- Within that negative growth in: natural gas, crude oil.
- Since construction activity declined => Steel-cement demand also down => production decline.
- Overall, very low growth in 8-core industries
[Act 5] Trend in international market (2014-15)
- Gold price will remain flat
- Other Commodity market prices will either decline or remain flat.
- Fuel supply should increase and price should decline.
- Copper price will decline because Chinese demand will decline.
Country | AdvancedEconomies | EmergingDeveloping |
---|---|---|
2013 | 1.4 | 5.8 |
2014 | 1.5 | 5.5 |
2015 | 1.6 | 5.2 |
Overall | Price rise | fall |
As per above IMF-projections, commodity prices should fall, and WPI (headline) should decreased in 2014 and 2015. But there are challenges:
More inflation in | IF following happens |
Food |
|
Fuel |
|
[Act 6] How can Government fight inflation?
Economic Survey hints following reforms:
- Cut down Fiscal deficit, as per time-bound targets under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act.
- Deregulate diesel prices, power–sector reforms, and generally the move from administered to market-determined prices.
- This will raise inflation in short term but in long term, it’ll reduce fiscal deficit and thereby reduce inflation.
- MNREGA doesn’t improve productivity of the agricultural sector commensurately.
- Raising MNREGA wages => shortage of farm labour => input cost increased, food supply decreased => food inflation.
- Therefore, MNREGA should be restructured to create productive assets
- Agriculture: MSP should be linked cost of production. FCI’s Procurement should not be open-ended. Bring UREA under NBS scheme. Give Fertilizer Subsidy to farmers instead of companies.
- Some stages charge ~15% mandi tax, and use that money to pay bonus above MSP to farmer (for vote bank politics). This practice must be stopped.
- FCI should release grains in market to soften food inflation.
- Government should reduce restrictions on agriculture exports.
- Reform APMC Acts
- Immediately take out fruits and vegetables from purview of the APMC Acts immediately.
- How can RBI fight inflation? Ans. Urjit Patel Committee.
Appendix: Actual numbers WPI, CPI, IIP
Numbers not important but “TREND” is
year | WPI | CPI combined (Rural +urban) |
---|---|---|
2012-13 | 7.35 | 10.21 |
2013-14 | 5.98 | 9.49 |
Month | WPI | CPI (combined) |
---|---|---|
Jun-13 | 5.16 | 9.87 |
Jul-13 | 5.85 | 9.64 |
Aug-13 | 6.99 | 9.52 |
Sep-13 | 7.05 | 9.84 |
Oct-13 | 7.24 | 10.17 |
Nov-13 | 7.52 | 11.16 |
Dec-13 | 6.4 | 9.87 |
Jan-14 | 5.11 | 8.79 |
Feb-14 | 5.03 | 8.03 |
Mar-14 | 6 | 8.31 |
Apr-14 | 5.55 | 8.59 |
May-14 | 6.01 | 8.28 |
Jun-14 | 5.43 | 7.46 |
- This is “inflation” corresponding to previous year. Example- In June-2014 the CPI was 7.46% higher than what it was in June 2013.
- and in June 2013, CPI was 9.87% higher than what it was in June 2012 and so on…
- If you DIRECTLY compared to “BASE YEAR” 2010, then CPI for July 2014 is 149.6! Meaning prices ~50% higher than what they were at 2010 (Base price 100)
Consumer Food Price Indices (CFPI)
year | Rural | Urban | Combd. |
---|---|---|---|
Jul’13 | 10.66 | 12.52 | 11.22 |
Jul’14 | 9.85 | 8.45 | 9.36 |
IIP data growth compared to previous year
June 2013 | -1.8 |
June 2014 | 3.4 |
- Interpretation: IN June 2014, the production “Quantity” increased by 3.4 compared to June 2013’s level. AND in June 2013, production “quantity” declined by -1.8% compared to June 2012 and so on.
IIP – over two years
IIP sectors | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
---|---|---|
Mining | 2.3 | 0.6 |
Manufacturing | 1.3 | 0.8 |
Electricity | 4 | 6.1 |
overall | 1.1 | -0.1 |
IIP-goods Usage wise | 2012 | 2013-14 |
Basic Goods | 2.4 | 2.1 |
Consumer non-durable | 2.8 | 5 |
Intermediate Goods | 1.6 | 3.1 |
Capital Goods | -6 | -3.6 |
Consumer durable | 2 | -12.2 |
overall | 1.1 | -0.1 |
- Interpretation: compared to consumer durables produced in 2012, there was -12.2% decline in 2013.
- this doesn’t mean decline in “Price”, it means decline in “production quantity”
IIP data compared to BASE year
Month | 2013 | 2014 |
---|---|---|
Apr | 166.5 | 172.2 |
May | 166 | 174.3 |
Jun | 164.9 | 170.5 |
Jul | 171.4 | |
Aug | 165.4 | |
Sep | 167.5 | |
Oct | 169.6 | |
Nov | 163.6 | |
Dec | 179.5 | |
Jan | 184 | |
Feb | 172.7 | |
March | 193.3 |
Interpretation: if in 2004, industrial production was 100 “units” then in June 2014, it increased to 170.5 units. i.e. 70.5% increased. so here “positive” but compared to last year, overall mostly negative. (Observe previous table).
Thank u so much sir
sir u r just awsome so hard workinf 4 us thankj u so much sir
really good work sir………previously i’m not able to solve economy questions……but after seeing ur articles itz bit easy task for me………..
Thanks Sir, nice inf before exams.
I read that inflation is calculated on point to point basis, can anybody explain it and about it’s advantages
As you know that WPI is published weekly and CPI is published monthly. From my understanding, point-to-point means the price “level” difference over two specific “periods”. For example, if the WPI for the week ending Aug 21, 2014 is 8% then it means that the WPI is higher by 8% compared to that in the week ending Aug 21, 2013. Similarly, in case of CPI, if it is 10% in the month ending August 2014, then point-to-point inflation means that the price index has risen by 10% compared to the CPI in August 2013.
It is only an indicator of price “level” but it does not necessarily mean that the prices have actually gone up over that period. For example, WPI may have moved up because the prices fell in the corresponding period of the previous year. Hence, a more accurate picture is given by average annual inflation rate rather than point-to-point rate.
Thanks alot Sir but I want to add one thing in act 5 you said that prices ll decline but In case of decline in rate of inflation prices ll not reduce as long as inflation rate is positive
ultimate and excellent work down……….no words to appreciate u…………….u r really master of digital knowledge delivery……….thanks lot……………..
Very Very Useful Info.. Thanks
@Mrunal :
HDFC’s purchasing managers index (PMI)
I think it should be HSBC..
core inflation wpi i m confused plz anyone can explain
thanks sir….
thnks sir very nicely explained
Thank you
THANKS……………………
Mrunal Sir Images on the page are Not displaying Please check
YOU R GREAT SIR
thanx
Dear Mrunal Sir,
Please mention the dates on the articles as was being mentioned earlier. It is not possible to follow your site every day. Date is the best marker by which one can remember that last time till which article he read and from where to start. Otherwise reading the articles by opening one by one would be a tedious job. I hope u understand the concern.
Thanks
Hi Mrunal,
Since overall IIP has to be between lowest and highest values, I started checking data from CSO tables. U have missed out on a few negative signs. Donno if you have posted corrections later, still sending this for everyone’s benefit. Kindly correct on page too.
IIP sectors 2012-13 2013-14
Mining -2.3 -0.6
Manufacturing 1.3 -0.8
Electricity 4 6.1
Overall 1.1 -0.1
Keep up with your Gift of Writing so Lucidly. Amazing Work !!
Need material for demand pull and cost push inflation
sir kindly suggest books for NABARD phase II as i dont have much time kindly help me what are the topics which i need to stress more in syallabus
exam is on 11 please reply
waiting for your golden reply
Sir can you provide me notes regarding GDP,NNP,GNP and NDP. waiting for your reply
Thank you sir, economy subject is now easy to understand.