Expect overall macroeconomic conditions to worsen or remain the same during April – June, 2012
There exists a significantly heightened risk perception in the Indian economy in Q2 (Apr-Jun) 2012. “CFOs are clearly focused on Risk Management as a key priority area and implementing risk mitigation tools that will help them minimize the impact of the volatile economic and political environment on the balance sheet of their respective companies”, says Mohan Ramaswamy, Chief Operating Officer of Dun & Bradstreet India. He was commenting on the findings of D&B’s just released detailed survey on Corporate CFO optimism.
In fact 86% of the surveyed CFOs expect the level of financial risks for the corporate sector to increase or remain same. Further interesting facts about the CFOs’ perspective on the overall Business Risk revealed that; nearly 60% of the surveyed CFOs stated that they consider the overall macroeconomic conditions to worsen or remain the same during Q2 2012, as compared to same quarter of the previous year.
As many as 86% of the surveyed CFOs expect the level of financial risks for the corporate sector to increase or remain at existing levels in Q2 2012. Only 14% expected a decline in financial risks in the Indian corporate sector.
In an alarming development, 82% of the CFOs surveyed consider the level of financial risks on their company’s balance sheet to either increase or remain unchanged in Q2 2012. Only 18% expected a decline in the level of the financial risks on the balance sheet of their respective companies.
Increased Risk Management figured very high in the priorities of CFOs for the next 6 months. 70% of the CFOs surveyed had enhanced risk management, business restructuring and reducing leverage as key priority areas for 2012.
When asked about risk management tools that they would adopt in 2012, over 60% of the surveyed CFOs said that their focus would be largely on hedging their exposures, tightening credit appraisal mechanisms for new customers and monitoring strategic accounts more closely for payment risks.