India Inc's earnings lag during Modi era despite moves to cut red tape, streamline tax system; many investors upbeat

Mumbai/Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s moves to cut red tape and streamline the tax system have won him plaudits, but data shows that the Narendra Modi government’s pro-business agenda has failed to translate into earnings growth for most Indian corporations. As India’s top software services companies Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys get set to kick-start another earnings season — the last under Modi’s current tenure — expectations remain muted. Yet, Indian stock markets trade near record highs and many investors remain upbeat. [caption id=“attachment_6209031” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ANI[/caption] “Interest rates have fallen quite drastically and retail investors are left with less choice,” says Krish Subramanyam, co-head, equity advisory at Altamount Capital. “Equities have been a preferred investment, and having Modi has kept markets buoyant.” Hopes of Modi returning as prime minister after elections that get under way on Thursday have kept foreign investors bullish on India, while the domestic audience rides a wave of patriotism after tensions with arch-rival Pakistan spiked in February. Local markets rose after the tensions eased in March. Foreign inflows into Indian equities were a net $6.7 billion in January-March, more than reversing outflows of $4.4 billion in 2018. The NSE Nifty has risen about 7 percent this year, and about 63 percent since Modi took office in 2014. Recent opinion polls suggest Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) alliance will win a thin parliamentary majority in the elections. If opinion polls suggest Modi will not return, that “could cause some nervousness”, said Gautam Chhaochharia, head of India research and a managing director at UBS. The stock market has rallied without support from earnings. Aggregate data on 399 of India’s largest listed companies for which comparable data is available shows earnings have fallen in four of the five years of Modi’s tenure, whereas they rose in four out of the five years his predecessor Manmohan Singh was prime minister. The data, sourced from Refinitiv, also shows that on average, earnings rose 11.94 percent annually under the prior government, while they fell 3.72 percent during Modi’s time.