Global Economy and Stock Markets
As per latest survey by IMF, inflation appears to have peaked in 2022, consumer spending remains robust and the energy crisis post Russia-Ukraine war has been less severe than initially feared. Though global economy still faces major headwinds in 2023, global growth is now expected to fall from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2023 (vs 2.7% projected earlier). The road to full recovery with sustainable growth and stable prices has just begun and the risks appear to be more tilted towards downside.
On the back of some improvements in macro-economic conditions globally, stock markets continued their upward momentum in the last few months, delivering one of best openings to a calendar year since beginning of 2020 wherein almost all the global markets were in positive territory with many of the key indices in US and Europe delivering a return between 7-15% since the start of 2023.
Indian Economy
Urban consumption led by higher discretionary spending in services like Travel and Tourism, healthy investment activity with bank credit expanding by 16.7% upto Jan 2023, governments enhanced focus on infra spend resulting in healthy capacity utilisation of ~75% across industries and normal monsoon + better crop prices which should result in improving rural demand are some of the major drivers which should support healthy economic activity in 2023-24.
