MANU/RPRL/0112/2015

Ministry : Reserve Bank of India

Department/Board : RBI

Press Release No. : 2015-2016/637

Date : 10.09.2015

RBI releases the Monthly Bulletin for September 2015

The Reserve Bank of India today released the September 2015 issue of its monthly Bulletin. In addition to Speeches by the Top Management and Current Statistics, this issue includes four articles: (1) Consumer Confidence Survey- Q2:2014-15 to Q1:2015- 16; (2) Position of Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation for the Quarters October 2013 to March 2015; (3) Private Corporate Investment: Growth in 2014-15 and Prospects for 2015-16; and (4) Monthly Seasonal Factors of Select Economic Time Series.

1. Consumer Confidence Survey - Q2:2014-15 to Q1:2015-16

The Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) provides an assessment of the perception of around 5,400 respondents spread across six metropolitan cities viz., Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. The survey captures qualitative information on a 3-point scale viz., improve, remain same, or worsen on questions pertaining to economic conditions, income, spending, prices and employment prospects. The responses are obtained in two parts, viz., current situation as compared with a year ago and expectations for a year ahead. This article analyses trends based on the last four rounds (Q2:2014-15 to Q1:2015-16) of the CCS. The survey results of each quarter have been released regularly on the RBI website. The survey results reflect views of the respondents and are not necessarily shared by the Reserve Bank of India.

Main Findings:

• The two Consumer confidence indices, viz., current situation index and future expectation index exhibited improvement over the last one year, although slight moderation was observed in the June 2015 round.

• Significant improvement in the positive perceptions on economic conditions, spending and price levels, was observed during Q2:2014-15 and Q4:2014-15. However, perceptions on income and employment scenario showed decreasing trend over the same period.

• The optimism regarding future economic conditions, incom........