International Financial Integration of the Indian Money Market

The study investigates whether the financial liberalization undertaken in India has resulted in integration of Indian markets with global markets. First, we investigate covered interest rate parity (CIP) between India and the US using 3 month interbank interest rates and 1 year swap rates. The results show little evidence of a long term equilibrium relationship between the domestic interest rate and the covered interest rate. The mostly negative results indicate the presence of a country risk premium and/or binding regulations on capital movements and/or binding restrictions on interbank borrowing and lending. Next, we use a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to study the dynamics between the Indian interest rate, the covered interest rate and the US interest rate. The results show some degree of cointegration among Indian and US interest rates, suggesting that linkages less direct than covered interest arbitrage may exist between US and Indian money markets.