Page 2 - Global Economic Crisis

Time to rebuild trust, cooperation with each other: WEF Chair Klaus Schwab

As nearly 3,000 global leaders assembled here to discuss challenges and crises facing the world, the host World Economic Forum on Tuesday said trust and cooperation are a must in a connected yet divided world. It said the most challenging issues before the world including on security, climate and cyber fronts are not limited by borders and they travel without passports, but cooperation was still possible and was happening. WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab said this occasion should be used as an opportunity to rebuild trust in each other. At the first plenary of the WEF Annual Meeting 2024, Schwab said the world today may be more connected geographically but it is also a lot more divided and fragmented. "We are also seeing unprecedented risks on technology front," he said. "Let's use this meeting to rebuild trust in each of us for the future of humanity," he said. WEF president Borge Brende said, "We have nearly 3,000 participants from more than 125 countries here at

German economy shrinks 0.3%, costly energy, higher interest rates to blame

Germany's economy shrank 0.3 per cent last year as Europe's former powerhouse struggled with more expensive energy, higher interest rates, lack of skilled labour and a homegrown budget crisis. Europe's largest economy has been mired in stagnation since the last months of 2022 amid those multiple challenges. The International Monetary Fund expected Germany to be the worst-performing major developed economy last year, a major turnaround from its place as a model for how to expand when other nations were struggling. German's economy likely also shrank 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter after stagnating in the third quarter, the Federal Statistical Office said on Monday in an initial rough estimate. Official figures for the last three months of 2023 are expected to be announced January 30. Meanwhile, there's an ongoing debate about why Germany has stalled. Energy intensive industries must pay higher natural gas prices after losing Russia's cheap supply following its invasion of Ukraine,

Sri Lanka raises fuel retail prices by Rs 20; first under new VAT hike

The Sri Lankan government raised retail fuel prices by Rs 20 effective from Monday in its monthly revision, making it the first retail price hike of any commodity under the imposition of new Value-Added Tax rates. The government revises fuel prices monthly based on the exchange rate of the US dollar and the global oil market prices. However, Monday's hike was purely a result of the new VAT rates. Sri Lanka's VAT rate has been increased by three per cent from Monday for the band, which was previously taxed at 15 per cent, while most VAT-exempt items have been brought under 18 per cent in a highly unpopular move. Last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the release of the second tranche worth USD 337 million to the cash-strapped island nation, bringing the value of disbursements to USD 670 million in the four-year facility. With its reforms, the IMF programme meant that the government set cost-based tariffs for utilities, while several rate hikes on electricity ...

Mr L P Hemanth K Srinivasulu Receives 'Man of the Year 2023' Award from Home Minister Shri Amit Shah

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Global debt challenges ahead

With higher interest rates increasing the debt-servicing burden of nations, the scope of productive expenditure will shrink further

Udaan said to be laying off 120 employees as it seeks profitability

The development comes at a time, when Udaan recently raised $340 million in Series E financing

Germany's woes worsen as economy likely to shrink again in current quarter

Germany's economy is likely to shrink again slightly in the current fourth quarter, the country's central bank said Monday, while a survey showed business confidence retreating unexpectedly. Europe's biggest economy contracted by 0.1% in the third quarter after growing by the same amount in the previous three-month period, according to official figures. The Bundesbank said in its monthly report that real gross domestic product in Germany is likely to decline again slightly in the fourth quarter of 2023 as a result of weak performances in industry and construction Two consecutive quarters of contraction is a common definition of recession, though the economists on a panel that declares recessions in the eurozone use a broader set of data, including employment figures. Germany is the only major economy expected to shrink this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, which foresees a decline of 0.5%. The German government has forecast a decline of 0.4%. The economy has bee

European Central Bank holds rates as inflation cools but hastens bond exit

The deposit rate was left at a record 4% with the ECB reiterating that this level will make a "substantial contribution" to returning consumer-price growth to its 2% goal

Global economy at stake as US, China seek to cool tensions at APEC summit

The United States and China are the two global economic heavyweights. Combined, they produce more than 40 per cent of the world's goods and services. So when Washington and Beijing do economic battle, as they have for five years running, the rest of the world suffers, too. And when they hold a rare high-level summit, as Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will this week, it can have global consequences. The world's economy could surely benefit from a US-China detente. Since 2020, it has suffered one crisis after another the COVID-19 pandemic, soaring inflation, surging interest rates, violent conflicts in Ukraine and now Gaza. The global economy is expected to grow a lackluster 3 per cent this year and 2.9 per cent in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund. Having the world's two largest economies at loggerheads at such a fraught moment," said Eswar Prasad, senior professor of trade policy at Cornell University, exacerbates the negative impact of various geopolitical ..

Stock markets edge higher in volatile trade amid weak global cues

Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty edged higher on Wednesday after a volatile trade amid weak cues from Asian and European markets along with unabated foreign fund outflows. The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced by 33.21 points or 0.05 per cent to settle at 64,975.61. During the day, it hit a high of 65,124 and a low of 64,851.06. The broader Nifty went up by 36.80 points or 0.19 per cent to close at 19,443.50 with 29 of its components closing in green and the rest 21 in red. Among the Sensex firms, Asian Paints, Titan, Larsen & Toubro, JSW Steel, ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Maruti and Reliance Industries were the major gainers. ICICI Bank, NTPC, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards. In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled lower. European markets were trading in the negative territory. The US markets ended in positive territory on Tuesday. Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.15 per cent to USD 81.73 a ...

Pakistan: PIA cancels flights over non-payment of dues to fuel supplier

The Pakistan International Airlines cancelled 14 domestic flights while four others were delayed by several hours

E-recruitment declines 5% in Aug as cos cautious due to global crisis

E-recruitment activities in India fell by 5 per cent in August compared to the same month last year as companies are cautious following challenges posed by inflation and the slow growth of other major economies such as the US, a report said on Friday. Sequentially also, the e-recruitment activities witnessed a 3 per cent decline in August, foundit's (formerly Monster APAC and ME) 'foundit Insights Tracker (fit)' revealed. "While hiring has slowed down overall in several sectors in the country, our nation's economy maintains its resilience amidst global uncertainties. A large contributing factor to this stability is the government's emphasis on nurturing sectors such as shipping, finance, and travel," foundit, a Quess company, CEO Sekhar Garisa said. Simultaneously, states are actively bolstering their digital infrastructure to empower tier II and III cities, he stated. "In conjunction with an increase in festive recruitment, the collective effort is expected to improve the job ...

Global slowdown, protectionism start affecting services exports from India

The services trade surplus widened to $36.39 billion in the first three months of the current financial year against $31.07 billion in the first quarter of the previous year

Indian travel association to help in boosting tourist flow to Sri Lanka

A leading travel-related association of India has resolved to help Sri Lanka in reviving its tourism sector by promoting the flow of tourists to the island nation that is making comprehensive efforts to recover from the devastating economic crisis last year. The three-day Indian Travel Congress, which was held in Colombo as part of the 67th convention of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), concluded on Saturday with a dazzling display of fireworks, gala dinner and music and dance performances with many famous Bollywood numbers sang in Sinhala language by performers. "We are both alike, India and Sri Lanka, our food, language, culture and dresses, and tourism builds bridges between two communities and two countries, and we at TAAI support Sri Lanka in its efforts to revive tourism, above and beyond this convention," Jyoti Mayal, the President of the 72-year-old TAAI, said in her address. After her address on Saturday night, she asked TAAI delegates to take a pledge that ea

Amid economic uncertainties, South Korea's employment rate hits record high

South Korea's employment rate has reached a record high but job additions slowed for a second consecutive month in May following a brief rebound in March amid lingering economic uncertainties

With economic uncertainty around, Indians willing to spend to upskill

Indians consider education a necessary and worthwhile investment and in a situation that has turned increasingly uncertain, they are willing to spend more towards it

Cause and effect: Are corporate profits fueling inflation globally

As the Federal Reserve continues with hikes, the linkage between corporate profit margins and inflation is blamed for consumer burden

Risk of prolonged low growth economy looms large globally: UN report

According to the report, the world economy is now projected to grow by 2.3% in 2023 (+0.4 percentage points from the Jan forecast) and 2.5% in 2024 (-0.2 percentage points), a slight uptick

Italy's public debt crosses $3 trillion for first time: Bank of Italy

The Bank of Italy said that the country's public debt climbed above $3 trillion in the latest reporting period

Microsoft freezes salaries of full-time workers due to economic uncertainty

The company will, however, consider raising rates for hourly workers while maintaining a bonus and stock award program without "overfunding" it, Nadella said without elaborating