Economy Financial News

Russia has an interesting place in India's foreign policy game plan. As foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday during his five-day visit to Moscow, geopolitics and strategic convergence will always keep the bilateral ties on a positive trajectory. On Wednesday, Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov walked the talk as the two sides agreed on the expansion of Russian hydrocarbon exports to India and cooperation in nuclear energy.

On Wednesday, Nifty closed at 21,654 (Sensex 72,038), both lifetime highs, no doubt engendering a feeling of wellness among investors. Markets have been on a tear in India following BJP's victory in the latest round of assembly elections, and the anticipation of a thumping victory in the 2024 general elections, coupled with a growing recognition of India's long-term potential. The exuberance of the markets is well-timed when it comes to confidence, the all-important ingredient of economic growth.

MUMBAI : Indian economy remained resilient amid global uncertainties, allowing the domestic banking sector to deliver strong performance in FY2023 and the first half of this financial year, said State Bank of India chairman Dinesh Khara. “The Indian economy has continued exhibiting robust resilience during the current year too, building upon the momentum initiated during 2022-23, notwithstanding the global turmoil as escalating multiple footprints of geopolitical tensions threaten to change the terms of trade, clocking growth rate of 7.7% in H1 of FY24, the highest among major economies in the world," said Khara, speaking at SBI’s banking and economics conclave.

Adani Total Gas Ltd, India's leading the city gas operator, on Wednesday signed an initial agreement with Flipkart to help decarbonise its supply chain. In the statement, Adani-Total Gas Ltd (ATGL) said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Flipkart to this effect.

The Bank of Canada overnight rate started 2023 at 4.25 per cent and will finish the year at five per cent, for a rise of 0.75 per cent after a rise of four per cent in 2022. I believe we will see a two per cent decline in rates by the end of 2024, back to an overnight rate of three per cent. The impacts of this decline will be the story of 2024.

It has been a busy year for Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne. He has several responsibilities, but building a new battery sector seemed to keep him the most occupied in 2023 as Canada inked multi-billion-dollar deals with battery and automakers Stellantis NV, LG Energy Solution Ltd., Volkswagen AG and Northvolt AB to build three battery plants.

By Shubham Batra and Amruta Khandekar

Wells Fargo strategists anticipate a turbulent trajectory for inflation to hit the Fed’s 2% target, particularly if the economic slowdown is less pronounced than predicted.

Investing.com — U.S. stock futures traded largely flat Wednesday, with traders consolidating the year's strong gains in the final week of the year. SoftBank received a hefty windfall in the form of T-Mobile US shares, while Toyota detailed a record November for global sales. The Chinese economy showed signs of life, while the crude market continued to look at the turmoil in the Middle East.

Asian markets are steady in holiday-thinned trading, with some markets in the region closed for holidays

A distillery in southwestern China is aiming to tap a growing taste among young Chinese for whisky in place of the traditional “baijiu” liquor used to toast festive occasions

Daihatsu, a unit of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp., has shut down production lines at all its four factories in Japan while transport ministry officials investigate improper tests for safety certifications

Asian shares have advanced, tracking gains on Wall Street after markets there reopened following Monday's holiday

The administration of Argentine President Javier Milei says the government won’t renew contracts for more than 5,000 employees hired this year before he took office

World shares have advanced, tracking gains on Wall Street after markets there reopened following Monday's holiday

Mahendra Jajoo, CIO, Mirae Asset Management, says “we have to wait till at least June ‘24 to see what we can expect because of the simple reason that now in February, we are not going to have a full year budget, it will be a vote on account. Then when the new government comes and the full year budget is presented in June, July, that is the time we can say if there is an environment building up for a rate cut. I would say for the next six months, first half of 2024, no change in the policy rates, then I think the room opens up if the inflation comes down for a rate cut by the RBI in the second half of 2024.” In June 2023, we all were anticipating or hoping for rate cuts to happen. But then we saw there was geopolitical tension and various triggers and data also that turned it around. And now the rate cut scenario has gone to 2024, maybe six months, eight months down the line depending on the data again. How would you analyse the first six months of 2023? Mahendra Jajoo: As we saw in 2023, things have been very volatile and as you rightly explained, the sentiments have gone from extremely negative to extremely positive and that is also a backdrop which the investors must consider while getting affected by the volatility.

Entitled Solutions, an inclusion platform to make health and financial services accessible to urban low-income workers, has raised $1.3 million (about Rs 10.83 crore) in an extended seed round from SIS, a leading player in the security, facility management and cash logistics segment. In the past three years, Entitled Solutions has enabled affordable financial and health access to about 700,000 low-income workers, including those in the new-age gig economy. The company works on a business-to-business-to-consumer model and integrates with employers and gig service platforms to enable services for the workers associated with them.

populist measures are expected in the upcoming Budget. It would — in all likelihood — be pragmatic while there could be some extra push to infrastructure, says Seemant Shukla, Chief Business Officer (CBO) of JM Financial Asset Management. In an email interview with Mint, he speaks about the growing fascination for SIPs (Systematic Investment Plan) among retail investors, best performing sectors of 2023 and the expectations from the market in 2024.

IT sector, which has seen a contraction in hiring amid global economic slowdown and funding winter, is likely to witness a positive turnaround with 8-10% increase in hiring in 2024, suggests a new report rom talent solution company NLB Services. Overall, the hiring in the IT sector is expected to surge by 12-15% in CY 2024, especially due to the surge in global capabilities centres (GCCs) and global economy settling down comparatively, according to the report.

IPL Biologicals has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to establish a state-of-the-art biofertilizers, bio pesticides, bio fungicides, and microbial growth promoter facility in the region at an investment of Rs 400 crore. Aligning with the national goal of adopting the most organic and sustainable practices by 2030, IPL Biologicals envisions the MOU with the Gujarat government to develop a new facility as a significant contributor to sustainable agriculture. The major focus of the first phase of production will be on biological agriculture products, followed by probiotics and enzyme products.

Hashed, South Korea’s largest crypto venture, has invested 36.8 billion won ($28.44 million) in blockchain projects this year.