Echoes of 2022: West Asia conflict puts crude-linked sectors in the crosshairs again

Oil and its derivatives account for 40-70% of raw material costs of these sectors, which leaves (their) margins vulnerable to rising crude prices,” said Devarsh Vakil, head of prime research at HDFC Securities.Indian markets have faced similar pressure before. When Brent crude surged 73% to a peak of $130 per barrel between December 2021 and March 2022, shortly after the Russia-Ukraine war began, India Inc.’s profit margins came under swift pressure.A Mint analysis of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data shows that operating profit margins of oil refiners, rubber product makers, tyre and tube manufacturers, and paint companies compressed by an average 140 basis points between the December quarter of FY22 and the June quarter of FY23.While most sectors began to feel mild pressure as early as Q4FY22, the squeeze peaked for rubber products and tyre and tube makers in Q1FY23.

For refiners and paint companies, however, the pain lingered longer: operating margins for refineries nearly halved, while paint companies saw about a 3.2 percentage point compression as the stress extended into the September quarter, Mint’s analysis showed.Raw material costs, which accounted for roughly 55% of net sales for crude-linked companies in Q3FY22, rose to nearly 60% by Q1FY23 after the Russia-Ukraine war began, eroding profitability across the board.“What’s common is that most of the sectors that fell during the Russian invasion of Ukraine have fallen again,” said Akshay Chinchalkar, managing partner and head of markets strategy at The Wealth Company. “Clearly, rising crude prices are playing spoilsport for them.”As the West Asia conflict entered its fifth day, analysts at JPMorgan Chase warned that a blockade of the Strait of