Pandemic Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In 2023, Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter Abhi Tambe released an Extended Play, or EP, Portal Waiting. Created during the nationwide lockdown brought about by the covid-19 pandemic, the six-track album had an end-of-the-world sort of apocalyptic feel, probably stemming from the collective anxiety and panic felt globally at the time.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s consumption landscape has undergone a significant transformation over the last two decades, influenced by shifts in income distribution, economic shocks and changes in spending behaviour. Data from PRICE’s ICE 360 pan-India household survey provide a detailed account of these trends, shedding light on the financial resilience of different income groups and the impact of events such as the pandemic.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. At the first cabinet meeting of his second term in office, US President Donald Trump declared his intention to impose a sweeping 25% tariff on all imports from the European Union.

Developers, which previously experienced strong demand following the pandemic, are now reintroducing incentives to attract buyers. Offers such as «1% payment now,» fully furnished homes, modular kitchen and even free parking spaces have resurfaced, indicating a shift in market dynamics. However, cash discounts are still limited. In the newspapers, one can find offers such as Godrej Properties offering a 1% monthly payment plan, while M3M Developers has a 'move-in now, pay later' plan that allows buyers to pay 20% after two years. PARAS Buildtech has promised a 50% per annum return with its buyback scheme, and Shriram Properties offers 'zero extras' with savings of up to ₹25 lakh. To stimulate housing sales, property developers are enhancing incentives for homebuyers, particularly in the 3BHK and above apartment sizes segments, where sales have remained sluggish.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. After spending many years in the corporate world, Meenal Majumder decided to set it all aside and don the student’s hat to go the start-up way. Though there wasn’t a perfect plan in place, she knew that if she waited for the ‘right time’, there was a good chance it would never come.

Trump won't rule out the likelihood that the US might enter recession under his watch, as early as this year itself, reports by AFP and other agencies said. In an interview that aired on March 9, Trump said he won't dismiss the possibility of the United States witnessing a recession this year. When asked directly about a potential downturn into 2025, he responded, «I hate to predict things like that,» during a conversation with a Fox News host. He emphasised the significant changes underway, stating, «There is a period of transition, because what we're doing is very big — we're bringing wealth back to America,» and noted that «It takes a little time.» In contrast, Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, provided a more definitive stance, stating unequivocally on NBC's «Meet the Press,» «Absolutely not,» when queried if Americans should prepare for an economic downturn.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A bag of chips here, a jam roll there or a small bar of dark chocolate because you craved something sweet— isn’t that what break-time or at-desk snacks invariably consists of for most of us these days? According to a WHO-led 2023 study, retail sales of ultra-processed foods in India had declined from 12.65 per cent in 2019 to 5.5 per cent in 2020. However, in 2021, it increased by 11.79 per cent.

Prince William on March 6 visited Mental Health Innovations (MHI), where he shared his experience volunteering at a mental health helpline during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said it was 'terrifying’. MHI is the organisation responsible for creating Shout, the United Kingdom's first 24-hour text messaging support service for people experiencing mental health challenges.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Estimates of gross value added (GVA) and gross domestic product (GDP) for 2024-25 were released last month along with revised estimates for 2023-24 and final data for 2022-23. The numbers for 2024-25 were broadly in line with estimates released earlier, with GDP growth placed at 6.5%, marginally higher than the 6.4% reported as part of India’s first advance estimates.

Greg Foran will step down in October 2025 after five years leading the airline through a turbulent period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, and ongoing engine maintenance challenges. The airline has started the search for his replacement. Foran, a former Walmart executive, joined Air New Zealand just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. He steered the company through border closures, component shortages, and the grounding of aircraft. He also oversaw a retrofit programme for the airline’s Dreamliner fleet, which is expected to be completed by end 2025. Foran’s departure comes as the airline grapples with a complex operating environment, including intense competition from Australian rivals Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia, and the impact of New Zealand's relatively small domestic market. The airline's recent financial performance reflects these challenges, with an 18% drop in first-half profit reported in February 2025.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Many nations are facing weaker growth prospects and are saddled with high debt while supply chains have come under pressure due to the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical developments, Georgieva said remotely from the US at an IMF event in Tokyo. “We also know trade is no longer the engine of global growth it used to be,” she said. “The new US administration is rapidly reshaping its policies on trade, taxation, public spending, deregulation and digital assets, and other governments are also recalibrating their approaches and adjusting their policies.”

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices received by employees. Before implementing mass layoffs, companies have to warn their employees about this in advance, with a WARN notice. This is a required prerequisite required under the Worker Adjustment and Training Notification Act. Although tech layoffs have dominated the news, employees are being dismissed across various industries as companies try to increase their profits. The number of employees laid off by each company ranges from as few as one or ten to as many as 500.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Google and HP are scheduled to release this year a 3-D video communications platform that works without requiring users to wear glasses or a headset, an effort to infuse virtual meetings with a greater sense that people are together in the same space. Video calls famously turned heel in the past few years, transforming from a panacea of the early pandemic into a soul-sapping burden for workers.

Real estate project registrations declined to 19,760 in 2024 from 22,143 in 2023 and 25,230 in 2022, as developers grew more cautious after a two-year bull run in the sector, as per data provided by NSE-listed data analytics firm PropEquity. After the Covid pandemic, rising property transactions and values led to a surge in project registrations in 2022 and 2023. However, prices stabilised in 2024, leading to a slowdown in new launches. «With home prices settling, we have seen fewer new projects this year,» said Sachin Arora, founder of Moneytree Realty.

Tax season is now underway, and if you moved in 2024, you may be entitled to write off your moving expenses, assuming you qualify. Not all moves, however, qualify as an “eligible relocation,” and the ability to deduct moving expenses can be challenged by the taxman, which is what happened in a recent case decided earlier this month. But before delving into the details of this latest case, let’s briefly review the rules for deducting moving expenses.

internet calling service that redefined how people connect across borders. Shutting down Skype will help Microsoft focus on its homegrown Teams service by simplifying its communication offerings, the software giant said on Friday. Founded in 2003, Skype's cheap audio and video calls quickly disrupted the landline industry in the early 2000s and made the company a household name boasting hundreds of millions of users at its peak. But the platform has struggled to keep up with easier-to-use and more reliable rivals such as Zoom and Salesforce's Slack in recent years.

World Bank report.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For Pfizer Inc., the strategy has been “go big, or go home". When the covid-19 pandemic first hit, Pfizer’s big bet on its partnership with BioNTech SE hit a home run.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem warns the Canadian economy will not be able to bounce back from a protracted trade war with the United States, as the impact from the trade disruptions will be structural in nature.

Receiving an inheritance can be complex, especially if it involves cross-border transfers. Diya (name changed), a 60-year-old woman, found herself in a difficult situation when her father passed away in February 2023. She had dual US and Norway citizenship and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, and had been living in Norway with her husband for more than seven years. Her parents lived in the US for 20 years before moving back to India during the covid-19 pandemic.