Moody’s says India’s worsening water shortage may impact its sovereign credit strength
A prolonged heat wave this year has worsened the shortfall, including in Delhi and the southern tech hub of Bengaluru.
Most Indian companies have currency protections against a weakening rupee said Moody’s Investors Service.
“Most companies have protections to limit the effect of currency fluctuations,” said Annalisa Di Chiara, a Moody’s Senior Vice President.
“These include natural hedges, where companies generate revenue in US dollars or have contracts priced in US dollars; some US dollar revenue and financial hedges; or a combination of these factors to help limit the strain on cash flow and leverage, even under a more severe deprecation scenario.”
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As a result, weaker credit metrics under a scenario in which the rupee depreciates a further 15 per cent against the dollar can be accommodated within the companies’ current rating levels.
“Refinancing risk associated with US-dollar debt over the next 18 months also appears manageable, as most companies are repeat issuers and others are government-owned or linked entities with good access to capital markets,” Moody’s Investors Service said in a new report.
According to the report, a sustained weakening of the Indian rupee against the dollar will be credit negative for rated Indian companies that generate revenue in rupees, but rely heavily on US-dollar debt to fund operations and thus have significant dollar-based costs.
On April 27, 2021, the Indian rupee closed around 74.66 against the US dollar, or about 3 per cent lower than levels in mid-March.
Lately, India is reporting new record daily increases in coronavirus infections, prompting new lockdowns and restrictive measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.
The exponential rise in new coronavirus cases in India is a humanitarian crisis. It also raises concerns about the country’s economic recovery and currency fluctuations.
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