If you look at the core sector chart over last 13 months, growth has been positive in 12 out of these 13 months. The core sector growth between Mar-21 and Aug-21 may be slightly misleading as growth was magnified due to a low base. Post Sep-21, that base effect has got neutralized, so core sector growth is at more sustainable levels now.
Meanwhile, final revisions in core sector growth for Sep-21 marked a smart 100 bps upgrade from 4.4% to 5.4%. The first revision for Nov-21 raised core sector growth from 3.1% to 3.4%. If you consider core sector numbers for Dec-21 and compare with Dec-19, then core sector is up 4.24% indicating that core sector is now growing above pre-COVID levels.
FY22 core sector 157 bps higher than FY20 levels
Core sector growth on a monthly basis is a good high-frequency barometer of evaporating base effect. It surely adds value as a momentum indicator. However, we need to understand if the pain of COVID has been overcome on a cumulative basis. For that the data of the first 9 months of FY22 can be compared to the first 9 months of FY20.
The cumulative growth for Apr-Dec 2021 period is pegged at +12.6%. This is against -9.8% contraction in the Apr-Dec 2020 period, which was the COVID peak. Thus, on a pre-COVID basis, core sector is now 1.57% above corresponding 2019 levels; representing a 49 bps improvement over the cumulative number last month.
Story of 8 core sectors; yoy and sequentially
Here we look at the break-up of the core sector based on YOY indicators, pre-COVID growth and high-frequency growth.
Core Sector Component | Weight | YOY over Dec-20 (%) | MOM over Nov-21 (%) | Apr-Dec YOY(%) |
Coal | 10.3335 | +5.2% | +10.1% | +10.6% |
Crude Oil | 8.9833 | -1.8% | +3.3% | -2.6% |
Natural Gas | 6.8768 | +19.5% | +0.7% | +22.4% |
Refinery Products | 28.0376 | +5.9% | +1.9% | +10.0% |
Fertilizers | 2.6276 | +3.5% | -0.2% | -0.1% |
Steel | 17.9166 | -1.0% | +6.8% | +22.1% |
Cement | 5.3720 | +12.9% | +31.0% | +26.1% |
Electricity | 19.8530 | +2.50% | +9.5% | +9.4% |
Overall Core Sector Growth | 100.0000 | +3.8% | +7.1% | +12.6% |
Data Source: DPIIT
Here are important takeaways from the table above.
a) The first column is the weightage column which tells you how much a change in particular component can have on the overall core sector number. Refinery products, electricity and steel have a high combined weight of over 65%.
b) The second column is the break-up of yoy core sector growth of 3.8%. Here, 6 out of 8 core sectors are in the positive. Steel remains weak due to weak demand from auto sector. Natural gas has been the big gainer on favourable pricing, boosting output.
c) The third column captures high-frequency MOM growth. There has been a sharp turnaround in this segment. In Nov-21, 6 out of 8 components of core sector were in the negative while in December 6 out of 8 are in the positive, indicating that the likely impact of Omicron may have been blown out of proportions and this is a reality check.
d) The last column covers cumulative data for the first 9 months of FY22. Last month, cumulative data was 108 basis points above the corresponding FY20 levels. This month, that 2-year growth has improved to 157 basis points.
e) There are two positive inferences. Firstly, the long term secular trend is turning positive. Secondly, the short term impact of the Omicron variant seen in the previous month, has been more or less neutralized in December.
Where does core sector growth go from here?
Core sector has a 40.27% weightage in IIP and needs to provide the much-needed impetus if IIP and GDP have to pick up.
Year | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
Core Sector Growth (%) | 3.8% | 2.6% | 4.9% | 3.0% |
Year | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
Core Sector Growth (%) | 4.8% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 0.4% |
Year | 2020-21 | Apr-Dec FY22 | ||
Core Sector Growth (%) | -6.4% | 12.6% |
Data Source: DPIIT
For now it looks like the Omicron scare has been managed reasonably well. The bigger risk now is to handle the risks arising from a rise in inflation, Fed hawkishness and any populist signals from the Union Budget.
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