Page 82 - Indian Economy

WTO meeting: India, SA oppose China-led investment facilitation proposal

Two developing countries say there is no consensus on proposal and it can't be included in outcome document of ministerial conference

Retail sector to more than double to $2 trillion in next decade: Report

India's retail sector is expected to grow at 9-10 per cent to reach USD 2 trillion in the next decade with the country's consumption story continuing to remain strong with steady growth, according to a report. Yet, organised retailers would need to sustain performance and continue to grow shares as the sector is going through key shifts impacting the pace and shape of growth, said the report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Retailers Association of India (RAI). While income growth remains steady, and consumers are optimistic about personal income outlook, consumers are increasingly looking to spend on "experiences" or save more through newer or nascent vehicles, it said. "The Indian retail sector will more than double in size to USD 2 trillion in the next decade - across categories and formats - and the successful retailers are the ones who continue to challenge the perceived growth profitability trade-off, " BCG Managing Director and Senior Partner Abheek Singhi said. The

Q3 GDP may slide to 6.7-6.9% on poor farm sector show: SBI Research

The Indian economy is likely to grow at 6.7-6.9 per cent in December quarter FY24 as compared to 7.6 per cent growth in the second quarter on poor performance in the farm sector, a report by SBI Research said on Wednesday. The report comes a day ahead of the release of official GDP data for the third quarter of 2023-24 financial year. India retained the tag of the world's fastest-growing major economy, with its GDP expanding by a faster-than-expected rate of 7.6 per cent in September quarter on booster shots from government spending and manufacturing. The 6.7-6.9 per cent growth forecast by SBI Research is lower than the Reserve Bank's 7 per cent growth projection for the quarter. SBI Research has projected Q4 GDP at 6.8 per cent. SBI Research said the biggest reason for the lower growth forecast is the very poor show by the farm sector as, barring fisheries, the whole sector is badly affected. As per the first advance estimates, the production of major kharif crops in 2023-24 is

Moderation in industrial growth, agri likely to drag down GDP growth in Q3

Meanwhile, services which are the major contributor to the Indian economy display an improvement in Q3, led by trade, hotels, transport and communication services

RBI consolidates reporting norms for REs, eases compliance burden

Consolidates 21 existing instructions; Audited returns to be filed within five days of signing reports

Borrowing cost for states decline for third week in a row to 7.44%

The borrowing cost for states continued to fall for the third week in a row, with the weighted average price falling to 7.44 per cent in the debt auction on Tuesday. The cost had remained at a two-year high throughout January sniffing at 7.8 per cent. However, the overall cost has been falling since the interim Union Budget, which forecast a lower than anticipated borrowing and a fiscal deficit target of 5.8 per cent for this fiscal and 5.1 per cent for the next financial year. The weighted average cut-off rate eased by 2 basis points to 7.44 per cent on Tuesday, with issuance trailing the indicated amount for the fifth consecutive week, Icra Rating said in a note. Twelve states raised Rs 32,800 crore through State Government Securities (SGS) on February 27 and the amount is 27 per cent lower than the highest-ever weekly auction of Rs 45,200 crore indicated for this week in the fourth quarter auction calendar. Both limited supply and the falling overall interest rates pulled down

Digital infrastructure is a modern day factor of production: FM Sitharaman

Sitharaman was speaking at the National Conclave on Viksit Bharat 2047 organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

Govt expresses concerns in WTO meet over unilateral protectionist measures

India on Monday expressed "serious" concerns in a WTO meeting in Abu Dhabi over increase in the use of trade protectionist measures by certain countries in the name of environment protection. The remarks assume significance as the country has earlier flagged issues over the European Union's (EU) decision to impose carbon tax (a kind of import tax) on sectors such as steel and fertiliser; and adoption of deforestation regulation by the 27-nation bloc. Speaking at a session on sustainable development and policy space for industrialisation, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said developing countries require flexibility in the existing WTO (World Trade Organization) agreements to overcome the constraints faced by them in their industrialisation. He also expressed concerns on the concerted attempt by the developed countries to club long-standing development issues like policy space for industrial development with new issues of 'Trade and Industrial policy'. The CBAM (Carbon Border ...

Indians spending less on food, more on discretionary items, shows survey

The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, released late on Saturday, estimates average rural consumer spending rose to Rs 3,773 a month per person

India's GDP to grow at around 6.75-6.8% in FY25, says Bank of Baroda

The International Monetary Fund has projected the Indian economy to grow at 6.7%

Indian economy still growing below its potential, says Jayanth R Varma

Varma says if the economy is not overheating, there is no need of a high real interest rate, which can choke growth

Tractor sales drop by 4% in FY24, signalling rural economic trouble

Maharashtra recorded a 33% drop, Karnataka 21%, and Telangana 36% in tractor sales. This decline can be attributed to erratic weather conditions and insufficient rainfall

India on track to be $10 trn economy, set for 3rd largest slot: WEF prez

India is on track to become a USD 10 trillion economy in coming years and grab the third-largest slot soon, World Economic Forum President Borge Brende said on Thursday as he described the country as a place with optimism not seen elsewhere in a very fragmented and polarised world. In an exclusive video interview with PTI, Brende also said that the World Economic Forum (WEF) hopes to come back to the country with the WEF India Summit in collaboration with Government of India when the time is ripe. "The Indian economy is the fastest growing among all large economies of the world. We saw in Davos this year that there was a huge interest in India and I think this will only continue," Brende said. Geneva-based WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation, holds its annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort town Davos every year in January. Brende said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "always very, very welcome to Davos". "When you come

Fresh formal jobs created last year fell nearly 10%, shows EPFO data

EPFO data shows 10.78 mn new users joined compared to 11.93 mn in 2022

RBI MPC minutes: Caution stays in last leg of fight against inflation

Patra said it was only when the inflation rate subsided and stayed close to the target lastingly that policy restraint could be eased

Private capital yet to embrace energy transition, says CEA Nageswaran

While urging multilateral development banks to act on the recommendations of the independent expert group under India's Group of Twenty (G20) presidency to mobilise private capital, the CEA added

IMEC has potential to create more opportunities: Albanian foreign minister

Hasani, who is in the national capital to attend the Raisina Dialogue, said the India Middle-East Economic Corridor (IMEC) has the potential to create more market opportunities

Recalibrating spend

RBI paper redefines the capex-revenue debate

India's GDP growth likely to moderate to 6.5% in FY25: India Ratings

On the consumption side, India Ratings expects private final consumption expenditure to grow by 6.1 per cent in FY25, up from 4.4 per cent in FY24

RBI to conduct 13-day VRR auction to infuse Rs 1 trillion on Friday

Despite the slew of VRR auctions being conducted by the RBI since February 8, the persistent liquidity deficit in the banking system has been largely around Rs 2 trillion in the period