Page 13 - Economy

Tale of two states: Bihar, Andhra Pradesh carry a high debt legacy

Bihar joins AP in taking fiscal stress in recent years, but lags far behind the southern state in prosperity

Fight for control of Yemen's banks between rebels, govt to wreck economy

Yemen's Houthi rebels and its internationally recognised government are locked in a fight for control of the country's banks that experts warn is threatening to further wreck an economy already crippled by nearly a decade of war. The rivalry over the banks is throwing Yemen's financial system into deeper turmoil. Already, the Houthis who control the north and centre of the country and the government running the south use different currency notes with different exchange rates. They also run rival central banks. The escalating money divide is eroding the value of Yemen's currency, the riyal, which had driven up prices for clothing and meat before the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha started on Sunday. For weeks, Yemenis in Houthi-controlled areas have been unable to pull their money out of bank savings accounts, reportedly because the Houthi-run central bank, based in the capital, Sanaa, has stopped providing liquidity to commercial and government banks. Protests have broken out in fron

India to remain fastest growing Asia-Pacific economy, predicts Moody's

Moody's Ratings on Thursday said India will remain the Asia-Pacific region's fastest-growing economy in 2024, sustaining last year's domestically driven momentum. In a report titled Credit Conditions Asia-Pacific H2 2024 Credit Outlook, Moody's Ratings said Indonesia, the Philippines and India led the way in terms of growth in first half of 2024 and should continue to outperform pre-COVID growth numbers on the back of rising exports, local demand and government spending on infrastructure. "India will remain the region's fastest-growing economy, sustaining last year's domestically driven momentum. We anticipate policy continuity after the general election, and a continued focus on infrastructure development and encouragement of private sector investment," it said. Moody's said stronger portfolio inflows are likely in India and ASEAN economies, because of robust corporate credit metrics and appealing valuations. Last month, the rating agency projected India to grow 6.8 per cent in t

Expect commercial vehicle volumes to witness 4-7% dip this fiscal: ICRA

Hit by a high base of last year and weakness in demand, the domestic commercial vehicle industry is expected to witness a dip of 4-7 per cent in wholesale volumes in the current fiscal as compared to FY23, rating agency Icra said on Friday. The medium and heavy commercial vehicle (trucks) volumes are expected to contract by 4-7 per cent year-on-year given the high base effect and the impact of the Lok Sabha polls on infrastructure activities in the first few months. Similarly, the volume of light commercial vehicles (trucks) wholesale volumes is likely to decline by 5-8 per cent in FY2025 due to factors such as a high base effect, sustained slowdown in e-commerce, and cannibalisation from electric three-wheelers, Icra said. The rating agency expects the domestic CV industry's uptrend to be arrested in FY2025, with a decline of 4-7 per cent in wholesale volumes, it stated. This follows a muted year-on-year growth of 1 per cent and 3 per cent for wholesale and retail sales, ...

Over $23 bn of sustainable infra projects identified at IPEF eco forum meet

As many as 69 sustainable infrastructure projects worth over USD 23 billion of investment opportunities were identified at the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) clean economy investor forum meet in Singapore, according to a statement. The statement of Singapore's ministry of trade and economy, which hosted the meet, out of the 69 projects, 20 investment-ready projects worth about USD 6 billion were presented to investors at business matching sessions. Remaining projects worth about USD 17 billion were also identified as potential investment opportunities in future. The forum brought together about 300 participants from the Indo-Pacific region's top investors, cutting-edge project proponents, innovative start-up entrepreneurs, ministers and senior government officials. The Indian delegation was led by Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal. Organised by Singapore's ministry alongside the 13 other IPEF partners, the forum aims to facilitate high-quality business and .

Tight election will increase prospect of productive reforms: CEA Nageswaran

Voters returned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third term but with a reduced margin that has left his Hindu nationalist party needing coalition partners to govern

Strong economic base to help new govt make India a developed nation by 2047

India's world record beating economic growth rate together with robust tax revenues, a fast expanding digital and financial infrastructure and a strong manufacturing sector will give the new government a base for unleashing next generation reforms that may make the country a developed nation by 2047. The new government will however have to tackle with problems like unemployment and rural distress, which seemed to have played a major role in voting pattern in states like Uttar Pradesh, while also keeping inflation under control. Given that no party, including BJP, have a clear majority of its own, tough reforms like big ticket privatisation and labour law reforms may take a backseat. As per the available trends, BJP is likely to win about 240 seats in a 543- member Lok Sabha. It would have to rely on its allies like TDP and JDU to form the next government. The new government will have to build upon the 8.2 per cent GDP growth recorded in 2023-24 and carry on with the reforms to make

Sri Lanka holds rates to control inflation, foster economic stability

Incoming data suggests that headline inflation is likely to be below the targeted level of 5 per cent in the upcoming months

RBI's surplus transfer sparks hope for reduced govt borrowing by Rs 1 trn

Bond market participants are now focusing on the upcoming monetary policy meeting in June to assess the central bank's liquidity stance

Here's how Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' is boosting the British economy

Singer Taylor Swift's concerts witnessed a lightning-fast sell-out, with ticket sales soaring within minutes of their release

Explained: How is Taylor Swift boosting the European economy?

Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' is not just a musical sensation; it's also a powerful economic engine for Europe. With sold-out shows across multiple cities, her concerts are drawing in thousands of fans

Singapore economy grows 2.7%, fastest in 18 months as outlook improves

Separate data showed annual core inflation came in at 3.1 per cent in April, matching the rate in March

Household savings likely to rise in FY24, liabilities to moderate: CRISIL

Household savings are likely to rise in fiscal 2023-24, an arm of a domestic rating agency said on Tuesday. Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics said there are "early indicators", which show that household savings would have revived in FY24, while growth in household liabilities would have moderated. "Proxy data suggest a rebound in the overall savings rate in FY24, with contribution from households," it said in a note, adding that household savings constitute 60 per cent of the total savings in the economy. It can be noted that official data released last year showed a dramatic fall in India's net financial household savings rate to a 47-year-low of 5.3 per cent from 7.3 per cent in FY22. The Crisil report explained that households have been borrowing at a faster pace than they have been saving since the pandemic, due to which the net household financial savings, which was arrived at by adjusting financial savings for liabilities. Factors like retail credit push by banks and

Pakistan's GDP grows 2.09% in Q3 supported by higher growth in agriculture

The bureau revised the first and second quarter GDP estimates for financial year 2023-2024 to 2.71 per cent and 1.79 per cent respectively, compared to earlier estimates of 2.5 per cent and 1 per cent

Alibaba Q4 results: Profit declines by 86%, beats revenue estimates

Consumers in China have been spending carefully after the Covid-19 pandemic amid an economic slowdown and property slump

UK exits recession with better-than-expected forecast 0.6% GDP growth

The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product expanded by 0.6 per cent in the three months to March, the strongest expansion since the fourth quarter of 2021

UAE top destination for India migrants, hosts 3.47 million: UN report

India received more than $111 bn in remittances in 2022, the largest such amount

Pvt sector investment in FY23 fell to Covid-year levels, govt's share up

Public non-finance corporations' (PSUs) share in investment continued to decline, registering at 9.4 per cent in FY23, according to government data

Air India reduces cabin baggage allowance to 15 kg for lowest fare segment

Loss-making Air India has reduced the free cabin baggage allowance to 15 kilogram from 20 kilogram for the lowest economy fare segment on domestic flights. The changes have been made in the menu-based pricing model fare families that were introduced by the Tata Group-owned Air India last August, with the airline saying that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer ideal. There are three fare families -- Comfort, Comfort Plus and Flex -- that offer different levels of benefits and fare restrictions at various price points, an airline spokesperson said on Saturday. With effect from May 2, the free cabin baggage allowance for the 'Comfort' and 'Comfort Plus' categories has been reduced to 15 kg from 20 kg and 25 kg, respectively. Prior to the introduction of the fare families concept, passengers on Air India's domestic flights were allowed to carry 25 kilograms of cabin baggage free of any additional charge. "On domestic routes in Economy Class, both 'Comfort' and 'Comfort Plus' far

Pension plan for unorganised sector sees only 5 mn subscribers in 5 years

Experts attribute the slow offtake under the scheme to high inflation and rise in cost of living