Experts Financial News

Oil prices inched lower on Friday as investors focused on a forecast of ample supply and shrugged off expectations of higher demand next year from Chinese stimulus measures, while eyeing another Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week. Brent crude futures edged down 8 cents to $73.33 a barrel by 0125 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.95 a barrel, down 7 cents.

Chinmoy Krishna Das' bail, however, the judge did not allow the early hearing. Rabindra Ghosh, a Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist, presented the petition in the court and the judge kept his application «on record» but did not allow an early hearing. «The senior lawyer Rabindra Ghosh used the authorised power with the signature of Chinmoy Krishna Das on the basis of Supreme Court Bar document. But the judge asked a requirement of Chittagong Bar confirmation,» Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, President of Chittagong Bar Association, told over the phone.

Meat from fin whales caught for the first time in nearly 50 years off Japan’s northern coast has fetched up to more than $1,300 per kilogram at auction, as officials try to keep the struggling industry alive

US Supreme Court grants bail in the NVIDIA case, permitting a shareholder lawsuit to move forward. The technical details of the hearing seemed to overwhelm the justices. The NVIDIA case that the US Supreme Court had previously agreed to hear was dismissed as improvidently granted. The ruling permits the majority of the shareholder lawsuit against the chip manufacturer to move forward, as quoted in a report by Engadget. A pension fund and an investment firm filed the lawsuit against NVIDIA, alleging the company misled investors about its dependence on the cryptocurrency mining sector. The lawsuit alleges that before a 2018 crash that caused the chip maker's stock prices to plummet, NVIDIA concealed its reliance on the market.

India's growth story may not have been as sparkling as China's but it's more balanced, thanks to its more judicious investment-consumption mix, Boston Consulting Group's global chief economist Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak said. «When you look at it carefully, China's growth has been very unbalanced-very much focused on capital accumulation, neglecting consumption. And that is now catching up with China,» he told ET in an interview. «To me, from afar at least, it looks like India is on a more balanced path. I presume you can do a lot more capital investment-both public and private. But the fact that consumption is already a significant share of output, to me, it looks much more balanced,» he added. However, additional tariffs on Chinese goods, as pledged by US president-elect Donald Trump, may not necessarily divert massive investments by global corporations away from China, he reckoned.

After missing India's big win in the first test in Perth to be with his newborn son, opener Rohit dropped down the order at the Adelaide Oval where he managed just nine runs as the tourists crashed to a 10-wicket defeat inside three days. The resumption of Rohit's run of low scores provided more ammunition for his critics, who contend that the 37-year-old is now dead weight in the team.

Robert Payas, along with other ex-LTTE personnel based abroad, have been trying to revive it in Tamil Nadu since 2019, as per the investigation by agencies. NIA in 2022 carried out searches and came across the involvement of Suresh Raj and Soundar. «Accused Soundar had voluntarily confessed that his uncle Balan Jayakanthan, an ex-LTTE cadre, instructed him to meet Robert Payas (an accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case) for monetary assistance for his education and Robert Payas, in turn, instructed him to meet Sabesan, an ex-LTTE cadre and through Sabesan, the two developed an association and indulged in subversive activities,» the order stated.

Top industry executives have decried the government's modest ₹1,100 crore FY25 budgetary allocation, amounting to 0.03% of the GDP, for telecom-related R&D, including allocations towards the IndiaAI Mission and design-linked incentive scheme. They termed it an unrealistic and feeble attempt to aspire for leadership on the global 6G stage. More so, since the actual FY25 budgetary allocation to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for R&D is just Rs 400 crore.

From blockchain developers to smart contract specialists, professionals across domains are vying to acquire in-demand skills, as companies, particularly in banking and IT, embrace blockchain for secure and scalable solutions. The post-2021 bull run and NFT boom have introduced blockchain to the mainstream, creating a wave of professionals eager to transition into the crypto and Web3 space.

While Lauritz Knudsen and Mumbai Indians have declined to comment on the financial details, the deal is estimated to be worth approximately ₹40 crore per year, totaling ₹120 crore over three years. This agreement surpasses the previous ₹30 crore-per-year deal that the franchise had with the fintech company Slice. Lauritz Knudsen, formerly known as L&T Switchgear and part of the Schneider Electric Group in India, aims to boost its visibility in the country through its association with the Mumbai Indians.

Lisa Su, the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), its CEO of the Year, a recognition that highlights her transformative leadership and the remarkable turnaround of the company. Since taking over as CEO in 2014, Su has propelled AMD from a struggling competitor to a dominant player in the semiconductor industry, challenging the long-standing supremacy of Intel and, more recently, Nvidia. This award comes as the semiconductor sector is undergoing explosive growth, fueled by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and the growing demand for graphics processing units (GPUs)—both of which have been central to AMD's strategy under Su’s leadership.

He observed that the share of middle-income countries in global GDP has grown, but their productivity and efficiency remain significantly below those of high-income economies. He added that India is better positioned than many of its peers to navigate the current global challenges. «Time is of essence for India to accelerate its structural reforms and the changes needed are not happening quickly enough,» he said, asking policymakers to capitalise on economy's strengths while addressing inefficiencies and fostering institutional resilience.

He reiterated that real economic growth this fiscal year will remain in the 6.5-7% range, as projected in the Economic Survey, despite the deceleration in the September quarter to 5.4%. The CEA was speaking at CII's Global Economic Policy Forum. Nageswaran said while the increase in the capital formation ratio since the pandemic is largely driven by the public sector, the private sector, too, has started to invest — something that will be more discernible in the coming years.

Indian Light Tank (ILT) has been developed to boost the Army's combat capabilities along the frontier with China. The latest trial of the tank followed the phase-one trial in the desert environment in September. «The Indian Light Tank has achieved a major milestone by firing a number of rounds at different ranges at an altitude of more than 4200 m, at a high altitude location with consistently accurate results,» the ministry said.

commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal said Thursday. He also said that the world needs to avoid protectionism, which creates more trade barriers and hinders movement of goods. Emphasising that one needs to avoid a mercantilist approach and should not bother too much about trade balance and imports, Barthwal said: «Because if the Indian economy is growing 7% and if the world is growing at 3-3.5% rate of growth then obviously India will be requiring more of consumption, more of imports and let me tell you that the role of imports in exports is also very, very important».

Biden administration plans to raise tariffs on solar wafers, polysilicon and some tungsten products from China to protect US clean energy businesses. The notice from the US Trade Representative's office said tariffs on Chinese-made solar wafers and polysilicon will rise to 50% from 25% and duties on certain tungsten products will increase from zero to 25%, effective on Jan. 1, following a review of Chinese trade practices under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. The decision followed a public comment period after the USTR said in September that it was considering such actions.

Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill to strengthen the efficient working of the national and state disaster management authorities with the government emphasising that the legislation will help states in handling all disasters in a better way. The House cleared the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to amend the Disaster Management Act by a voice vote. Several amendments moved by opposition members were negated by the House. The government said states faced difficulties in implementing the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The proposed amendment is based on overcoming the difficulties flagged by states.

Yellowstone Season 5 Finale date is nearing as the Peacock's popular show will end ahead of Christmas 2024. Yellowstone Season 5 Finale is scheduled on Sunday, December 15 at 8 pm (ET). The show will be telecast on Paramount Network. Even though Yellowstone Season 5 Finale is almost here, there is no clarity over whether there will be season 6 or not. There are rumours that Yellowstone Season 5 Finale may witness a showdown among Jamie, Beth and Rip.

Nigel Farage has eventually emerged as the favorite to replace Sir Keir Starmer as the upcoming Prime Minister of the UK while eminent Ladbrokes have placed his odds at 5/2, reported Daily Star. According to Daily Star, this certain shift in betting comes amidst a surge of support for The Reform UK party of Nigel Farge while the party is now being seen as a potential contender for the most seats in the next general election. Kemi Badenoch who is the current Tory leader eventually follows with odds of 3/1 while Angela Rayner who is the Deputy Prime Minister stands at 6/1. Also Read: Bombshell lawsuit linked to Diddy scandal slowly beginning to hurt Jay-Z; now, source says NFL could end $25 million multi-year deal with his company Roc Nation