• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation

Grant Thornton uses cookies to monitor the performance of this website and improve user experience

To find out more about cookies, what they are and how we use them, please see our privacy notice, which also provides information on how to delete cookies from your hard drive.

Global site
  • Global site
  • Algeria
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Gabon
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Libya
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Morocco
  • Nigeria
  • Namibia
  • Senegal
  • South Africa
  • Togo
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua
  • Argentina
  • Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and St. Maarten
  • Barbados
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada LLP
  • Canada RCGT
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Mexico
  • Montserrat
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Puerto Rico
  • St Kitts
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad & Tobago
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Turks & Caicos
  • Afghanistan
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • Cambodia
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Malaysia
  • Mongolia
  • Myanmar
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
  • Albania
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Azerbaijan
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Bulgaria
  • Channel Islands
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Gibraltar
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy - Bernoni
  • Italy - Ria
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kosovo
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macedonia
  • Malta
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • Northern Ireland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • UK
  • Uzbekistan
  • Bahrain
  • Egypt
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Yemen
  • Lebanon
Grant Thorton Logo

Grant Thornton Logo Grant Thornton logo

Contact us
  • Insights
  • Industries
  • Services
  • Events
  • Budget 2021
  • Careers
  • L&D Academy
  • Media
  • Country corridors
  • Consumer, Retail & E-commerce
  • Healthcare and Life Sciences
  • Automotive and Manufacturing
  • Media, Technology and Entertainment
  • Not for profit
  • Real Estate and Construction
Healthcare and Life Sciences Home
Our publications BillionFit: Technology redesigning healthcare
Our report, BillionFit: Technology redesigning healthcare, navigates through key trends in disruptive technologies in healthcare, with a focus on India. This paper captures India’s Healthcare and Fitness scenario from a technology perspective, while providing some insight into the recent developments globally.
Automotive and Manufacturing Home
Thought Leadership Auto Bytes January 2020
This edition of Auto Bytes focuses on what will shape the future of the sector.
Media, Technology and Entertainment Home
Publication The Digital Accelerate – New regulatory framework implementation guide
The publication summarises the transition process mandated by TRAI for digital television services, and how consumers can select their subscriptions.
Real Estate and Construction Home
Report Improving transparency in secondary real estate market
Holistic pan-India assessment on various parameters in the secondary market & direct impact of a regularised secondary market on stakeholders.
  1. Grant Thornton Bharat
  2. Press releases
  3. 2019
  4. India Inc. most optimistic about rise in exports; cautious business optimism as economic uncertainty spikes

India Inc. most optimistic about rise in exports; cautious business optimism as economic uncertainty spikes

25 Jan 2019
  • India Inc. most optimistic about rise in exports; cautious business optimism as economic uncertainty spikes

According to the latest results of Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR), India has emerged as the most optimistic nation for export expectations despite the increasing economic uncertainty all around. This is a significant jump from Q4 2017 where the country ranked 18th on this parameter and only 18% respondents vouched for an increase in exports as compared to 54% in H2 2018.

While India’s rank on the business optimism index improved from 6th in Q2 2018 to 4th in H2 2018, the percentage of respondents declined from 78% to 67%, finds the research, which gathers responses biannually from 5,000 business leaders in 35 economies including the G20 and has a sample size of more than 250 respondents in India. This improvement in India’s business optimism ranking could be the result of the rising global economic uncertainty, but India also displayed this global trend, ranking 3rd in citing economic uncertainty as a constraint for growth. 

Vishesh C Chandiok, CEO, Grant Thornton India LLP, said:

“The next six months are full of uncertainties – and probabilities of those uncertainties have only increased in the last quarter – a ‘no-deal Brexit’, a ‘hung verdict’ in the Indian elections and the impact of the global trade wars. It should be worrying for our policymakers that mid-sized Indian businesses remain at the top of the global league tables on all the concerns that will hinder investment, and hence job creation.”

Globally, revenue expectations have declined sharply and Indian businesses are displaying a similar sentiment. There is a marginal increase in revenue and employment expectations from Q2 2018 and India continues to acquire the 4th position on these parameters. India Inc. seems to be relatively more optimistic about the future when it comes to selling prices and profitability expectations. India stands at the 6th position in H2 2018 as against 9th in Q2 2018 and 3rd position as against 9th position in Q2 2018 in selling prices and profitability expectations, respectively.

India has taken a major jump on investment parameters, improving its rank from 18th in Q2 2018 to 5th in H2 2018 on investment in new buildings. Investments in plant and machinery and R&D also tell a similar tale as India takes the 4th position in H2 2018 as against 16th position and 13th position respectively in Q2 2018.

Indian businesses have been highlighting shortage of finance as a major hindrance in the path of growth since Q4 2017. In H2 2018 as well, India ranks first on this parameter. With the low employment expectations, Indian businesses are also wary about the availability of skilled workforce. India tops the chart in highlighting lack of skilled workforce as an impediment to growth. Lack of talent has resulted in a fall in demand and that has also emerged as one of the top concerns for India Inc. Despite India’s jump in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, Indian businesses continue to cite regulations and red tape as one of the key hurdles for business growth and India ranks 2nd on this parameter.

Commenting on the global outlook, Francesca Lagerberg, Global Leader, Grant Thornton International, said:

“While global financial markets are increasingly volatile, business leaders in the real economy remain optimistic because global GDP is forecast to continue growing and they know their business will grow with it. Despite increasing downside risk, economic fundamentals remain strong and opportunities exist.”

Please click here to view our global press release.

Share this page
  • Facebook LinkedIn
  • Twitter Twitter
  • LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email Email
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on YouTube
CONNECTclose
  • Locations
  • Contact us
  • Global reach
ABOUTclose
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Press
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
LEGALclose
  • Privacy
  • Disclaimer
  • Site map

© 2021 Grant Thornton Bharat LLP – All rights reserved.

    • EN
    • Sign in
    • Contact us
    Sign in with LinkedIn Close
    Sign in with LinkedIn to save articles to your bookmarks.
    Privacy policy