Inflation

As the US slaps fresh tariffs on Iran's trading partners, India faces little fallout - but the move underscores Tehran's deepening economic stress under decades of sanctions

CPI-food inflation peaked at 16.12 per cent in April 2018, while the lowest reading was recorded in April 2019

In an event-heavy week ahead, stock markets are expected to track Q3 corporate earnings from several blue-chip firms, including TCS and Infosys, while inflation data and global trends would also dictate investors' sentiment, analysts said. Trading activity of foreign investors would also be keenly tracked by investors, experts noted. "This week marks the start of the earnings season alongside a busy macroeconomic calendar. Investors will closely track India's CPI inflation, WPI inflation... Quarterly results from major companies across IT, banking, financial, and energy sectors will also be in focus," Ajit Mishra SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said. Globally, markets will keenly watch developments around the US Supreme Court verdict on the legality of Trump-era tariffs, which could act as a key sentiment driver, he said and added that the ongoing geopolitical developments will also remain on investors' radar. The movement of the rupee against the US dollar and crude oil pric

Core inflation, excluding food and fuel components, likely edged up to 4.53 per cent in December from an estimated 4.2 per cent-4.3 per cent in Nov, ‍partly due to a 7 per cent rally in gold prices

External demand is expected to fare better in FY27 than in FY26, aided by recently concluded trade agreements with the UK, New Zealand and Oman, and the prospect of a US trade deal later in the fiscal

After nearly 18 months of lukewarm performance, the FMCG sector registered a volume growth of 5.3 per cent in the August-October period of 2025

The Reserve Bank of India currently aims to keep inflation anchored around 4%, the mid-point of a 2%-6% range mandated by the government

The world has slowly changed into a format that seems to hate trade - more tariffs, more restrictions on immigration, and, in general, a call to go local

As the US disrupts global trade and India pushes major trade deals, 2026 will test whether reforms, new economic measures and shifting geopolitics can sustain India's growth momentum

India is preparing to rejig methodology for computing CPI and revamp monetary policy mandate for targeting retail inflation in 2026 after a year of benign price situation due to subdued food cost and GST reduction. Consumer Price Index (CPI) based retail inflation remained in the Reserve Bank's comfort zone (2-6 per cent) and is likely to stay that way in the next year also, keeping open the possibility of at least one more reduction in rates by the central bank in the coming months. Besides cooling food prices, the decision of the government to reduce GST rates on about 400 items in September helped in further improving the price situation in the country. The wholesale price index (WPI), too, showed clear signs of easing of inflationary pressures through 2025. Early months recorded positive but declining WPI inflation, reflecting softening price pressures especially in food and fuel categories. By June, WPI entered deflation and the downward trend continued with negative prints in

India's inflation rate picked up in November from a record low in the previous month but stayed well below the central bank's 4% target

The report was complicated by the federal government shutdown, which prevented the BLS from collecting much of the October price data

The ECB now sees inflation at 1.9% in 2026, above its previous projection for 1.7% while 2027 inflation is projected at 1.8%, below the 1.9% seen in September

The Bank of England on Thursday cut its key interest rate for the first time in four months amid signs that the stubbornly high inflation that has plagued British consumers and businesses is beginning to ease. Policymakers at Britain's central bank voted 5-4 to reduce the base rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.75 per cent on Thursday, the lowest since February 2023. The move came a day after the Office for National Statistics reported that consumer price inflation slowed to 3.2 per cent in the 12 months through November, from 3.6 per cent a month earlier. The figure was below the Bank of England's forecast of 3.4 per cent. That gave policymakers room to cut interest rates in an effort to bolster Britain's stagnant economy. Statistics released earlier this week showed a weakening jobs market, with the number of job vacancies declining and the unemployment rate rising to 5.1 per cent, the highest since January 2021. Even so, the bank's Monetary Policy Committee was divide

If approved, the plan would cross the previous record 115.2 trillion yen initial budget that was cleared under former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba for fiscal 2025

Inflation in manufactured products that carries weightage of over 64 per cent in the index, narrowed to a 14-month low of 1.33 per cent in November

India may see a goldilocks 2026 with strong growth and low inflation, but sustaining this balance will hinge on reforms, RBI policy support, fiscal consolidation and easing external pressures

Gold and silver prices are poised to maintain their record-setting rally in the coming week as investors focus on global inflation data and key macroeconomic indicators that shape central bank policy paths, analysts said. The spotlight will be on macroeconomic numbers, including inflation readings from India, the US, Europe, and the UK, as well as provisional manufacturing and services PMI data across major economies. In the US, traders will also track non-farm payroll/ weekly jobless claims, housing data and consumer sentiments, which will also shape the direction of bullion prices, they added. "Gold and silver's momentum will remain positive as (traders) focus on key data from China, followed by inflation numbers from India, the US, and the UK, along with provisional manufacturing/ services PMI data from across regions," Pranav Mer, Vice President, EBG - Commodity & Currency Research, JM Financial Services, said. On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold futures appreciated Rs

Despite strong real growth, slowing nominal GDP and a sharply weaker deflator raise fiscal concerns, challenging Budget assumptions for FY26

India's ill-conceived and hurriedly adopted inflation targeting is one such initiative that needs to be carefully evaluated