Expert view - Economy grows 4.7 percent in December quarter

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's economy grew a slower-than-expected 4.7 percent in the three months through December, dragged down by a contraction in manufacturing and mining, according to data on Friday.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast growth of 4.9 percent.

COMMENTARY

SUJAN HAJRA, CHIEF ECONOMIST AT ANAND RATHI, MUMBAI

"This does not give much confidence to the outlook for the economy. This is disappointing, but in line with the trend for the past several quarters. Achieving 4.9 percent for the full year looks challenging. While some improvement in segments like agriculture, mining and electricity is visible, the situation in manufacturing and many segments of services remains subdued. The overall picture doesn't change, only deteriorates marginally. All the more, it becomes more difficult to tighten monetary policy more in the next six months."

(Reporting by Mumbai markets team; Editing by Rafael Nam)