Demonetisation in India

The process is exacerbated by government imposed limits on how much new currency customers can withdraw at one time (less than AUD 500) and the fact that the new notes are not yet ATM compatible. Economic activity in the informal,  cash-based  economy has crashed to a halt, and consumption spending on anything other than basic necessities has slowed dramatically. In addition to site visits to banks, retail outlets and car dealerships, we attended a conference in Delhi to get senior managements’ view on how demonetisation would impact their businesses and the broader economy.

In sum, there is no visibility on the timeframe over which this will disrupt the economy, with views ranging anywhere from 2 weeks to 2-3 quarters. One thing is  clear, however, December quarter results in India are going to be chaotic with top line growth very weak for all  domestic-oriented  sectors and significant changes in working capital as inventories pile up, and cash payables and receivables get stuck in the system. Longer  term, however,  demonetisation is a positive both for India as a country and for the Modi administration.

First of all, it cleans up the black  economy as old note deposits of over 250,000 rupees (AUD 5,000) will be checked against income tax records and fines levied for people who have been evading taxes via the cash economy.

Secondly, it has resulted in a huge inflow of  low-cost  deposits into banks as money has come out from under the proverbial mattress to be exchanged for the new currency.

Thirdly, this move will generate significant fiscal benefits as it pushes the black economic activity into the taxable economy. It is expected that this fiscal benefit will be used to  recapitalise  public  sector banks which could in turn kick start a much-needed investment cycle in India.

The final point is that Prime Minister Modi’s timing is impeccable. Cleaning up the black economy now will make the rollout of the GST in April 2017 much easier since the cash based portion of the economy has already been reduced. The fiscal benefit generated by  demonetisation  will facilitate financial sector reform and positive investment cycle dynamics. The benefits of these will begin to be seen by late 2018, early 2019, just in time for Modi’s re-election campaign.

In sum, demonetisation in India is short term pain for long-term  gain. We have significantly reduced our country exposure in the short term based on a very weak 3Q results outlook and the fact  that  many of our holdings were consumer discretionary stocks and stocks with cash based working capital (cement). However, our long-term bullish view on India remains unchanged, possibly even strengthened, as a result of  demonetisation.