Fitch lowers India GDP growth to 4.6%, says business confidence weakening

Growth will gradually recover to 5.6 per cent in FY21 and 6.5 per cent in the following year, predicts Fitch.

Fitch Ratings on Friday cut India's GDP growth forecast for 2019-20 fiscal year to 4.6 per cent, citing weakening business and consumer confidence.

It affirmed India's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BBB-' with a Stable Outlook. Fitch said growth will gradually recover to 5.6 per cent in FY21 and 6.5 per cent in the following year with support from easing monetary and fiscal policy and structural measures.

"Our outlook on India's GDP growth is still solid against that of peers, even though growth has decelerated significantly over the past few quarters, mainly due to domestic factors, in particular a squeeze in credit availability from non-banking financial companies (NBFC) and deterioration in business and consumer confidence," it said.

India's rating, it said, balances a still strong medium-term growth outlook compared with 'BBB' category peers and relative external resilience stemming from solid foreign-reserve buffers against high public debt, a weak financial sector and some lagging structural factors, including governance indicators and GDP per capita.