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The Economy Observer
2 June 2021
Apr’21 brings unseen mathematical problem
Expect 15–20% YoY growth in 1QFY22 real GDP
What happens when a non-zero integer is divided by zero? It returns “#DIV/0!” in Excel – meaning undefined. This is
what defined Apr’21. With lockdowns in the nation at their peak, several indicators – such as passenger traffic, foreign
tourist arrivals, and auto sales – witnessed no activity in Apr’20. As a result, it is mathematically impossible to estimate
year-on-year (YoY) economic growth for Apr’21. Many other indicators – such as steel/coal/cement production, tractor
sales, fuel sales, and IIP for capital goods – showed growth of several hundred percentage points in Apr’21.
Consequently, we have failed to produce an estimate for our in-house Economic Activity Index (EAI) for India in Apr’21.
To get some perspective on the severity of the second COVID wave on economic activity, we instead look at month-
over-month (MoM) changes in the list of macroeconomic indicators. Based on our EAI-GVA indicators, the adverse
economic impact of the second COVID wave in Apr’21 appears to be roughly one-third of that a year ago in the case of
the Industrial and Services sectors, while it appears higher at near 50% levels for the Farm sector. The adverse impact
on private consumption and investments was lower at 20–25% of that in Apr’20.
A look at certain available indicators for May’21 confirms the economic situation worsened last month with stricter
restrictions and more states implementing these. The MoM declines in many indicators were almost 2x that in Apr’21.
With the start of Jun’21, however, Maharashtra (MH) has taken some steps to unlock the economy and other states are
expected to follow suit, implying the worst is behind us.
This statistical issue would continue in May’21 as well; therefore, we may be able to present our EAI estimates for only
Jun’21/1QFY22 in early Aug’21. Although uncertainty continues to loom large, we revise down our 1QFY22 real GDP
growth to 15-20% YoY with downside risks, vis-à-vis the
previous
estimate of ~30%.
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Unlike the national
lockdown over Apr–Jun’20,
the second wave is
characterized by local
restrictions in various parts
of the country in the past
three months.
First, the national lockdown during the initial COVID wave…:
Around the same
time last year, India saw one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. This led to
almost negligible activity in some of the large sectors in the country. Automobile
sales were almost nil, passenger traffic was strictly controlled, and foreign
tourists were banned. Several other infrastructure-related sectors (such as steel,
cement, and coal), retail fuel sales (petrol/diesel), and capital goods production
saw massive declines in production in Apr’20.
…and now local lockdowns amid the ferocious second wave…:
The country has
been engulfed by the second COVID wave since mid-Feb’21. Nevertheless,
unlike the first wave, the central government has allowed the states to take
charge. Therefore, unlike the national lockdown over Apr–Jun’20, the second
wave is characterized by local restrictions in several parts of the country over
the past three months. As a result, while economic activity is affected, the
impact is not as severe or widespread as seen during the first wave.
…have presented an unseen mathematical problem:
Statistically speaking, this
creates an insurmountable problem. When we divide a non-zero integer with
zero, it is undefined. This is exactly the case with some of the indicators, while
several others show growth of many hundred percentage points (say, 400–500%
for steel and cement production). Not only does this render the analysis difficult
but also distorts the picture in a manner where we fail to produce an estimate
of India’s EAI for Apr’21.
Nikhil Gupta – Research Analyst
(Nikhil.Gupta@MotilalOswal.com)
Yaswi Agrawal – Research Analyst
(Yaswi.Agrawal@motilaloswal.com)
Investors are advised to refer through important disclosures made at the last page of the Research Report.
Motilal Oswal research is available on
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