Product Marketing Manager, Criat

Raghav Chandra Mathur

Product Marketing Manager

Next-Generation Credit Analytics Provider

Criat

Criat specializes in new-generation data-driven credit analytics. Leveraging our industry-leading DeepCredit analytical technologies, we produce daily-updated forward-looking credit assessment and valuation to help financial institutions stay ahead of risks. Coupled with use-case-driven applications, we extract insights, answer questions and enable smarter credit decisions.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>Indian credit markets have been growing rapidly, with banks and non-bank financial institutions increasingly lending and servicing retail clients to meet the growing demand for retail loans from a population that has recovered strongly post Covid-19 pandemic.</li><li>Indian financial institutions are filling the retail financing gap so fast that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central bank, has had to introduce new regulation to maintain financial stability in the Indian banking system. However, improvement in underlying fundamentals and roaring capital markets are driving large increases in bank balance sheets and valuations respectively.</li><li>Criat’s Credit Cycle Index (Criat CCI) for Indian banks has steadily improved more than 15bps since the middle of 2023, as the NIFTY Bank index reached new highs of INR 49,000.</li></ul>

Indian credit markets have been growing rapidly, with banks and non-bank financial institutions increasingly lending and servicing retail clients to meet the growing demand for retail loans from a population that has recovered strongly post Covid-19 pandemic.Indian financial institutions are filling the retail financing gap so fast that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central bank, has had to introduce new regulation to maintain financial stability in the Indian banking system. However, improvement in underlying fundamentals and roaring capital markets are driving large increases in bank balance sheets and valuations respectively.Criat’s Credit Cycle Index (Criat CCI) for Indian banks has steadily improved more than 15bps since the middle of 2023, as the NIFTY Bank index reached new highs of INR 49,000.

Rampant Credit Growth Drives Recovery in Indian Banks Despite Lagging Deposit Growth

<ul><li>Insurers domiciled in Advanced Asian Economies have reaped the benefits of the higher-for-longer interest rate environment that has buoyed profitability for the sub-sector, even though operational headwinds and policy uncertainty remain key challenges for the sector in the latter half of the year.</li><li>Suffice to say the trend in Insurers’ credit risk profiles, measured using Criat’s Credit Cycle Indices (CCCIs), has been non-homogenous across the continent with firms domiciled in economies such as South Korea and Hong Kong facing a substantially higher risk than those domiciled in Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan.</li><li>Strong net investment returns over the past year have helped boost profitability for most of the sub-sector that has increased its exposure to government securities. </li></ul>

Insurers domiciled in Advanced Asian Economies have reaped the benefits of the higher-for-longer interest rate environment that has buoyed profitability for the sub-sector, even though operational headwinds and policy uncertainty remain key challenges for the sector in the latter half of the year.Suffice to say the trend in Insurers’ credit risk profiles, measured using Criat’s Credit Cycle Indices (CCCIs), has been non-homogenous across the continent with firms domiciled in economies such as South Korea and Hong Kong facing a substantially higher risk than those domiciled in Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan.Strong net investment returns over the past year have helped boost profitability for most of the sub-sector that has increased its exposure to government securities. 

Leaders and Laggards in Advanced Asia-Domiciled Insurance Sector

<ul><li>The strong showing of economic data from the US for the first three months of 2024 has spurred bets that the Federal Reserve’s is going to delay cutting rates towards the latter half of this year.</li><li>The narrative surrounding ‘imminent’ rate cuts that dominated market perception near the end of last year has been thwarted by the Fed’s chair Jerome Powell suggesting that rates are likely to remain elevated, without the market completely discounting the possibility of further rate hikes.</li><li>The immediate fallout from the higher-than-expected March inflation figures led to a systematic drop in Asian currencies, especially for some ASEAN based currencies, such as the Malaysian Ringgit, that have already been embattled by weakening currency against the dollar since the start of this year.</li></ul>

The strong showing of economic data from the US for the first three months of 2024 has spurred bets that the Federal Reserve’s is going to delay cutting rates towards the latter half of this year.The narrative surrounding ‘imminent’ rate cuts that dominated market perception near the end of last year has been thwarted by the Fed’s chair Jerome Powell suggesting that rates are likely to remain elevated, without the market completely discounting the possibility of further rate hikes.The immediate fallout from the higher-than-expected March inflation figures led to a systematic drop in Asian currencies, especially for some ASEAN based currencies, such as the Malaysian Ringgit, that have already been embattled by weakening currency against the dollar since the start of this year.

Strong ASEAN Banks Poised Well to Face Uncertain Rate Outlook

<ul>
<li>Oil spot prices have gained at a relatively stable pace since the start of 2024, with crude prices rising close to 19% year to date.</li>
<li>Robust demand due to recovery in economic activity across major markets has been a steady tailwind to oil prices despite the prevalent geo-political catalysts that have spurred across global markets.</li>
<li>Globally listed oil and gas producers and service providers have therefore seen a marginal improvement in their aggregate credit risk profiles, with their Criat Credit Cycle Index (CCCI) dropping by close to 2bps over the same period.</li>
</ul>


Oil spot prices have gained at a relatively stable pace since the start of 2024, with crude prices rising close to 19% year to date.
Robust demand due to recovery in economic activity across major markets has been a steady tailwind to oil prices despite the prevalent geo-political catalysts that have spurred across global markets.
Globally listed oil and gas producers and service providers have therefore seen a marginal improvement in their aggregate credit risk profiles, with their Criat Credit Cycle Index (CCCI) dropping by close to 2bps over the same period.


Global O&G Firms' Credit Quality Improves on Tighter Oil Markets

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>For the first time since 2016, the Bank of Japan has decided to raise interest rates, becoming the last country in the world to end its loose monetary policy stance, and signaling an end to the country’s deflationary cycle that has dominated policy decisions for the better part of the last decade. The impact of the BoJ’s policy move this week has led to volatility in global markets.</li>
<li>The Japanese Yen (JPY) has also depreciated against major currencies since the central bank raised its policy rate, as the policy move is suggestive of a gradual transition from accommodative policy by the central bank, rather than a hard exit into a tighter monetary environment.</li>
<li>Prior to the rate hike, the JPY has also seen a relatively softer appreciation against many developed currencies, especially the USD, as global markets priced in fewer than expected rate cuts by the Fed over the year making the interest rate differential still attractive.</li>
</ul>


For the first time since 2016, the Bank of Japan has decided to raise interest rates, becoming the last country in the world to end its loose monetary policy stance, and signaling an end to the country’s deflationary cycle that has dominated policy decisions for the better part of the last decade. The impact of the BoJ’s policy move this week has led to volatility in global markets.
The Japanese Yen (JPY) has also depreciated against major currencies since the central bank raised its policy rate, as the policy move is suggestive of a gradual transition from accommodative policy by the central bank, rather than a hard exit into a tighter monetary environment.
Prior to the rate hike, the JPY has also seen a relatively softer appreciation against many developed currencies, especially the USD, as global markets priced in fewer than expected rate cuts by the Fed over the year making the interest rate differential still attractive.


Japanese Banks Improved on Rate Hike Bets, Although True Impact Yet to Materialize

Raghav is the Product Marketing Manager at Criat. Criat is a pioneer in data-driven credit analytics that takes advantage of its cutting-edge risk modelling and assessment toolkits to provide intelligent and actionable insights. Raghav holds a Master's in Applied Finance from Singapore Management University and Bachelor's in Economics and Management from King's College London with research experience at the National University of Singapore. He focuses on providing quantitative credit risk research for investment and risk management purposes, and for portfolio optimization based on the latest credit trends.