By Mr. Rajeev Radhakrishnan, CFA, CIO – Fixed Income, SBI Mutual Fund on Budget announcement
The overall gross and net borrowing numbers, along with the lack of any specific measures to address demand for bonds, will clearly weigh on market yields. Effectively, even as broader fiscal consolidation measures and the reduction in the debt-to-GDP ratio are long-term positives, the bond market in the near term will continue to depend on RBI’s open market operations to anchor yields. This remains a challenge and could keep yields elevated relative to underlying macroeconomic numbers.