Economy & Policy News

OMO bond sales explained: Why RBI wants to pull ₹1 trn out of the system

Surplus liquidity has surged after RBI's special forex swap scheme, prompting the central bank to use bond sales to pull cash out of the banking system and realign overnight rates with its policy rate

August WPI inflation edges up to 9.92% as fuel prices stay elevated

Fuel and power inflation rose to 22.93 per cent, while the WPI Food Index increased to 7.05 per cent in August 2026

Weekly policy watch: Retail, wholesale inflation data in focus this week

India's policy calendar this week will focus on inflation data and forex reserves figures, offering clues on price pressures and India's external financial position

Saudi Arabia pipeline outage threatens loss of 4% of global oil supply

Saudi Arabia has enough oil stocks at key ports to sustain exports for only a few days, raising the risk of a major supply loss if its East-West Pipeline does not restart soon

FISME calls for easier trade finance, tech access for MSMEs under Brics

FISME said Brics cooperation should move beyond sharing experiences and create mechanisms that help smaller firms trade, invest and adopt technologies

India-EU FTA opens premium car mkt, gives Indian firms larger export quota

European carmakers get a first-year quota of 100,000 ICE and hybrid cars, while Indian-origin vehicles priced up to 50,000 euros get access to a 250,000-unit EU quota

Brics declaration eyes deeper cooperation on sustainable transport systems

Brics nations seek deeper cooperation on sustainable transport, resilient supply chains, urban mobility and infrastructure under the New Delhi Declaration

Brics leaders deepen audit, statistics ties; endorse SAI work plan

Brics leaders back deeper cooperation among national auditors and statistics agencies, endorse the SAI Work Plan 2027-2028 and call for modernisation of official data systems

PM Modi moots greater voice for global economic drivers at Brics Summit

PM Modi calls for a greater voice for countries driving global economic growth and reforms in the UN Security Council and global financial institutions

US, India join hands to strengthen security of undersea cable networks

The partnership seeks to improve the resilience and diversification of subsea communication infrastructure as India strengthens its position as a global digital and technology hub

US finalises steep duties on solar imports from India, Indonesia, Laos

The US Commerce Department imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar imports from India, Indonesia and Laos, citing cheap exports and government subsidies

Brics flags 'unilateral' tariffs, trade barriers as global risks

The reference to unilateral trade and finance-related actions is significant as the US has pursued sweeping tariff measures against trading partners

India relies on China for core electronic components in 71 product lines

China supplied at least 80 per cent of India's imports across 71 electronics product lines in 2025-26, with dependence concentrated in key upstream components

Datanomics: Threat to $ from Brics distant shot; euro a bigger challenger

Euro gives a challenge to dollar in export invoicing, while the US remains a far bigger player in forex transactions

OMCs' margins to be under pressure with crude above $100 per barrel: Report

Equirus Securities sees HPCL as the most vulnerable among major oil marketers, while BPCL is relatively better placed due to stronger integration and distillate yields

Food prices may have pushed retail inflation to 4.5-5% in August

A Business Standard poll of 11 economists projects August retail inflation at 4.5-5 per cent, driven by higher food prices and a firmer core inflation reading

FM Sitharaman for AI safeguards to keep pace with rapid tech evolution

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman calls for stronger AI safeguards, human oversight and regulatory coordination while warning against emerging systemic risks

India-EU FTA heads to EU Council for approval, signing likely in December

"If authorized by the Council, this will be the largest trade agreement ever concluded by both the EU and India," the European Commission said in a statement

RBI to drain ₹1 trillion through bond sales to tackle surplus cash

The move comes after surplus cash with banks rose to a record high of around 11 trillion rupees following massive inflows under the central bank's recent capital-raising windows.

Rupee falls 5 paise to close at 95.57 against US dollar on Friday

The rupee pared most of its initial losses and settled at 95.57 (provisional) against the USD, down by 5 paise, on Friday, helped by a correction in crude oil prices and suspected RBI intervention