Explore Business Standard
India Inc's credit metrics are likely to show slight sequential improvement in the third quarter of the current fiscal, with interest coverage increasing to 4.5-5 times, rating agency Icra said on Friday. This would benefit from improved earnings of corporate India on the back of continuing, albeit moderating, tailwinds from commodity prices and seasonally strong demand during the recently concluded festive season, it said in a release. Icra's analysis of the second quarter of 2023-24 performance of 601 listed companies (excluding financial sector entities) revealed improved operating profit margins (OPM), increasing by 398 bps and 64 bps on a year-on-year and sequential basis, respectively, it said. This was primarily aided by softening in commodity prices. However, while the input costs softened in recent months, they remain elevated compared to the historic levels, and accordingly, India Inc's OPM is yet to revive to its historic highs, the agency said. "The 1.6 per cent ...