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RBI Rules on State Bond Valuations

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June 14, 2018

Why in news?

  • RBI has announced major changes to how banks will have to value state government bonds.
  • It will have far-reaching implications for the bond market and for state and central finances.

What is the present mechanism?

  • A government bond is a debt security issued by a government to support government spending.
  • Currently, state government bonds are accounted for on banks’ books.
  • This is done using a straightforward yield-to-maturity approach.
  • Investors are allowed to value these holdings at a fixed markup of 25 basis points above the corresponding central government security.
  • This is irrespective of which state has issued it.
  • This approach largely enforced uniformity.

What are the proposed changes?

  • A valuation that is more closely tied to observed market prices is announced.
  • This is relatively easy to do for those state government securities that are regularly traded.
  • For those that are not regularly traded, the valuation shall be based on the state-specific weighted average.
  • The average is for the spread over the yield of the central government securities of equivalent maturity.

What is the rationale?

  • There has been an over-supply of state, central and quasi-government paper.
  • The simple 25-basis-point rule allowed states to raise money easily from the markets.
  • This was used even for extravagant and populist purposes.
  • The market was not allowed to discipline poorly run states.
  • The RBI was concerned about the general government deficit.
  • It cannot change a state government’s fiscal incentives directly.
  • It has thus done this indirectly by altering the bond valuation mechanism.

What are the benefits?

  • Bond markets treat a debt-ridden state identically to states with better fiscal position.
  • The move could thus introduce greater transparency to banks' books.
  • It will also allow greater transparency in public finance.
  • It could make states reform their expenditure and revenue.

What are the implications?

  • The move is a blow to state-run banks already reeling under bad loans and large trading losses.
  • The earlier mechanism allowed banks, to an extent, to mask actual trading losses.
  • Changing the earlier fixed premium rule would mean that banks' path to easy profits is closed.
  • Also, there is possibility of additional losses depending on the future direction of the government bond market.
  • The RBI has permitted the banks to spread out their treasury losses in the current June quarter over the next four quarters.
  • However, this may not be enough of a compensation from banks’ point of view.
  • Banks may no longer buy these state bonds.
  • This could push up yields, even for central government securities and corporate bonds

 

Source: Economic Times, Business Standard

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