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global markets, characterized by unexpected economic resilience in some regions and challenges in others. The year began under the shadow of slowing growth and recession concerns in major developed markets and, as it progressed, saw considerable inflation uncertainty, the war in Europe, and a new geopolitical flashpoint in the Middle East. Yet, by the end of the year, global equity markets, including India's, had soared to new heights, and the US Federal Reserve has given the markets a sugar rush by indicating a glide path to lower interest rates. The inescapable conclusion, as we hope our readers will infer, is that adhering to the fundamental principles of asset allocation remains the most preferred approach to investing. In this article we review the recent performance of key markets and portfolio strategies, and the optimal positioning for 2024.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has said his government has set a target to contribute 10 per cent to India's GDP and become a USD 500 billion economy by 2026-27. At present, Gujarat, with five per cent the country's population, contributes 8.3 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and in the previous year, the state accounted for 33 per cent of India's total merchandise exports, Patel said in an email interview to PTI ahead of the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Red Sea, though trade associations said they did not expect any notable disruptions for Europe's top economy. «We generally advise our customers to carefully examine their inventory strategy and, if necessary, adjust it,» DHL Group said in emailed comments, adding it was able to provide alternatives to customers such as air freight or rail. DHL Group does not operate ships but it uses them to transport containers. The German company offers planes, trains and trucks to move goods globally. This has become trickier since shippers such as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have recently rerouted ships away from the Red Sea — the shortest route from Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal — after vessels have come under attack from militants. German retailer association HDE, however, does not forecast any visible bottlenecks in the short or medium term, it said on Monday, pointing to more resilient supply chains that have been built up in recent years. «For this reason, empty shelves or price increases are not to be expected.» This chimes with Germany's logistics association DSLV, which does not expect major repercussions for the German economy, for example on consumer prices, citing the currently «very low» freight rates from Asia to Europe. While acknowledging there would be delays in deliveries, DLSV said supply chains were not expected to break down as they did two years ago, when the global economy was still feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the start of the Ukraine war. «Freight forwarders, shipping companies and retailers have learnt from the past.

Cushman and Wakefields Bruce Mosler explains why he is optimistic about 2024 on The Claman Countdown.

BEIJING — Despite pockets of strong growth, China's investment story has been overshadowed in the last year by longer-term problems and tensions with the U.S.

By David Lawder

UBS’ Solita Marcelli, Chief Investment Officer Americas, weighed in on the markets as stocks and high-quality bonds surged in recent months.

The annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reports are probably the most valuable addition to India’s official statistical economic database in recent times. Regular labour-market data not only provides a timely assessment of the nation’s economy, but also aids in making better informed policy decisions.

Most of Wall Street is rising Monday as yields ease in the bond market

oil production from state-owned ONGC's flagship deep-sea project in Krishna Godavari basin, saying this is a remarkable step in India's energy journey and boosts the mission for an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. In a post on X, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, «As India powers ahead as the fastest growing economy under leadership of PM @NarendraModi Ji, our energy production is also set to rise from the deepest frontiers of #KrishnaGodavari.» "'First Oil' production commences from the complex & difficult deepwater KG-DWN-98/2 Block, situated off the coast of Bay of Bengal.

Slatestone Wealth chief market strategist Kenny Polcari says Americans are reconsidering what the CPI report means on 'Making Money.'

₹3.5 lakh have declined from 31.8% to 15.8% during FY14-FY21, signifying share of this income group in total income in comparison to their population has been increased by 16%," it added. Interestingly, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently revised India’s growth outlook from its earlier estimate of 6.5% to 7% after it surpassed expectations, clocking impressive growth of 7.6% in Q2, to retain its crown as the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

Sundaram Mutual Fund, said, “Sundaram Multi Asset Allocation Fund is an ideal vehicle for long-term risk-adjusted capital appreciation. In addition to the potential of Equity combating inflation in the medium term, Gold also provides a hedge against currency depreciation. Besides, given the inevitability of business cycles, there are always times when the economy goes through a slowdown following rapid expansion – a period in which Gold generally turns out to be the best-performing asset class.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Chinese regulators have closed a regulatory loophole that last year allowed heavily indebted local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) to further increase their borrowing, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The Gaza war has long posed the risk of escalating into a broader crisis for the global economy, and recent developments in the Red Sea are proving this concern to be valid. Yemen's Houthi militants have been attacking commercial ships, purportedly in solidarity with Palestine, potentially jeopardizing global supply chains and driving up commodity prices, especially for fuel. It goes without saying that India is vulnerable to these cascading impacts.

AI Odyssey program by registering on aka.ms/AIOdyssey and accessing the learning modules and resources provided. The program is open to AI enthusiasts across India, irrespective of their experience level or background. Comprising two levels, the first phase of the program focuses on educating participants on utilizing Azure AI services to create and deploy AI solutions for diverse scenarios.

₹1.15 lakh per year. In real terms (adjusted for higher prices of goods and services), that is 6.7% higher than in 2019-20, the last pre-covid year. After the steep decline in incomes in absolute terms in the covid years of 2020-21 and 2021-22, all states staged a recovery in 2022-23, as areas emerged from lockdown, and consumers opened their wallets.

diesel subsidies and train drivers planning several days of strikes over wage disputes. The economy, Europe's biggest, was the weakest among its large euro zone peers last year, as high energy costs, feeble global orders and record-high interest rates took their toll.

The new year witnessed a robust performance by the US dollar, as evidenced by the Dollar Index's 1% gain, reaching the 103 level tested the previous week.

Can Indian inflation fall below 4% and economic growth remain strong in 2024? Here's what experts say "Some base effects should also help pull down inflation in the clothing and footwear, and miscellaneous categories. Households' near-term (three months ahead) inflation expectations also have declined, though one-year ahead expectations have risen. Input and output price PMIs for the manufacturing sector for December also remain contained," Barclays said.

UBS Group aims to grow its wealth and asset management business in China, despite the slowing economy and dearth of deals that’s weighed on some Wall Street and European lenders in the country.