Budget 2018: Good if it is populist within contours of fiscal deficit, says UBS Sec

With the big event Union Budget 2018 just a few hours away market experts share what they expect and other macros that would drive the economy and market in an interview to CNBC-TV18.

Neelkanth Mishra of Credit Suisse and Gautam Chhaochharia of UBS Securities.

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Mishra thinks it will be a non-event as it has been in the prior years and it is just an arithmetic exercise and too much important is given to the event. The two takeaways for the market would be the spike seen in bond yields and the fact that people are ascribing that there could be meaningful fiscal slippage but these concerns are exaggerated. He thinks people are reading too much into the political compulsions and how that would translate into policy and the rise in bond yields is unjustified.

Moreover, the view that rural income growth is weak and the government will support that through the Budget but given the limited capability of the  government infrastructure to deliver something like that quickly, it may not happen.

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Gautam Chhaochharia

Head - India Research|UBS

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Chhaochharia says if the Budget is populist along with high fiscal deficit expansion then it is worrisome but if the social schemes announced are within the contours of fiscal deficit then it may not be so worrisome.

Interesting to watch out social schemes that will be announced.