Business
USTR Report Turns Up The Heat On India On Trade And Tariff Issues
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, the United States has raised concerns over India’s high import tariffs in key sectors, such as automobiles, agricultural goods, medicines, and alcohol. It also flagged what it described as “sudden” tariff changes and regulatory hurdles that act...
Project Capex Intent Falls To A 3-Year Low In FY25
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The wait for a new capex cycle only appears to get longer. The value of new projects announced by the private sector was up just 3.3% on year in the March quarter, causing its share in all projects unveiled to decline to 69% from around 82% in...
100% FDI In Insurance A Step Forward, But Safeguards Unclear: USTR Report
MUMBAI: While India has announced raising the cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in insurance from 74 per cent to 100 per cent, it remains unclear whether certain safeguards for domestic firms introduced in 2021 will be removed, says a report by the Office of the United States Trade...
Banking Liquidity Turns Positive After Three Months
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India’s aggressive fund infusion in the past few months is beginning to show results, as the banking system’s liquidity position turned surplus at the end of March — the first time in three months. The banking system’s liquidity stood at a surplus of Rs...
India Can Still Be Competitive Despite Reciprocal Tariffs: PwC Report
NEW DELHI: US tariffs on Chinese goods could create new opportunities for Indian exporters, particularly in electronics, textiles, and engineering goods, where Indian businesses may remain competitive even after reciprocal tariffs, according to a PwC report. In the booming smartphone export sector, even if Indian smartphone imports into the...
Markets Bounce Back In Early Trade After Falling Sharply In Previous Session
MUMBAI: Stock market benchmark indices rebounded in early trade on Wednesday after a sharp decline in the previous session, driven by buying in blue-chip stocks such as HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex rebounded 256.82 points to 76,281.33 in early trade. The NSE Nifty climbed...
India Has 4th Largest Foreign Exchange Reserve; Can Take Care Of Imports: Finance Minister
NEW DELHI: India is the fourth largest country to hold foreign exchange reserves of $658.8 billion, enough to meet the country’s imports for 11 months, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Replying to supplementaries during the question hour, she assured members of their concerns on...
RBI, Government To Work Together For Macroeconomic Stability: President
MUMBAI: Heaping praise on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for being “at the very centre of India’s incredible growth story”, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday that the RBI had earned this trust by steadfastly maintaining its mandate of price stability, growth, and financial stability. Speaking at the...
India’s Growth To Be Highest Amongst Advanced, Emerging G20 Nations: Moody’s
NEW DELHI: Moody’s Ratings on Tuesday said India’s growth at 6.5 per cent this fiscal will remain the highest amongst the advanced and emerging G-20 countries, supported by tax measures and continued monetary easing, and the country will continue to attract capital and withstand any cross-border outflow. In its...
Railways Records 1.68 Per Cent Growth In 2024-25
NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways registered a 1.68 per cent growth in originating freight loading to 1,617.38 million tonnes in the 2024-25 fiscal against 1,590.68 million tonnes in 2023-24, the rail ministry said on Tuesday. “Loading for domestic coal registered a growth of 7.4 per cent whereas domestic containers...
India To Grow At 6.5 Per Cent In Fy26: EY Report
NEW DELHI: The Indian economy is likely to grow at 6.5 per cent in the fiscal year starting April 1, EY Economy Watch said, emphasising that a well-calibrated fiscal strategy that supports human capital development while maintaining fiscal prudence could significantly enhance long-term growth prospects. The March edition of...
Direct Benefit Transfers 16% Lower At Rs 5.8 Lakh Crore In FY25
NEW DELHI: The Centre’s transfer of assorted subsidies and sops to the beneficiaries through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) fell by 16% year-on-year to approximately ₹5.8 lakh crore in FY25, reflecting reduced leakages and a slower pace of implementation in certain schemes.DBT transfers had reached a record ₹7.16 lakh...
FTA, BIT Likely To Figure In FM’s UK Engagements
NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit the UK for a three-day trip starting April 8, where issues related to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) are expected to be discussed during the scheduled meetings. The Finance Minister’s key engagement in the UK will...
M&E Deal Activity To Gain Pace In FY26
NEW DELHI: After a season of big deals in FY25, media and entertainment (M&E) companies are likely to focus their attention on filling up small, but crucial gaps in their portfolio through mergers and acquisitions in FY26. Segments such as content creation, artificial intelligence (AI), gaming and sports could...
India’s External Debt Rises To $717.9 Billion
NEW DELHI: India’s external debt increased by 10.7 per cent to $ 717.9 billion at the end of December 2024 from $ 648.7 billion in December 2023, as per the data released by the finance ministry. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, there is a 0.7 per cent increase in external...
Cabinet Okays Rs 23,000 Crore PLI Scheme For Electronics Component Manufacturing
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a ₹22,919 crore scheme to promote domestic manufacturing of electronics components, display and camera modules, non-surface mount devices, multi-layer printed circuit boards, lithium-ion cells for digital applications, among others. The government expects production of ₹4.56 trillion with an investment of ₹59,350...
India Looks To Offer US Tariff Cuts On Farm Imports, Eyes Trade Success
NEW DELHI: India has offered tariff cuts on imports of US farm products like almonds and cranberries as a further concession to the United States, two government sources said, hoping to avert President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs set for next week. Unlike China, Canada and the European Union, India...
India’s Current Account Deficit Widens To 1.1% Of GDP In Q3 FY25
MUMBAI: India’s current account deficit (CAD) rose marginally to $11.5 billion, or 1.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), during the October-December 2024 quarter of the ongoing financial year (Q3FY25) from $10.4 billion, or 1.1 per cent of GDP, a year ago, amid a rise in service exports....
