Only a handful of large firms ready for big spending
Live MintMUMBAI : Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s expectation that private sector capital spending will power India’s economic growth appears to be wishful thinking as most companies, barring a handful of large conglomerates and state-run corporations, remain wary of new investments amid rising interest rates. Bankers said that the private capex cycle is quite uneven as large spending is mainly restricted to government projects, with only a few large conglomerates planning to spend on big projects. Experts and bankers said many companies are reluctant to commit to large projects amid surging inflation and high interest rates despite plant capacity utilization improving to over 75%, a level where most firms expand factories to create room for future growth. “With capacity utilization rising above 75%, coupled with an improving demand scenario, we could expect the private investment cycle to accelerate," a CareEdge report said on 15 September, adding that although the Centre’s continued thrust on capital spending is a welcome move, increased private participation is warranted to unleash the animal spirits in the economy.