India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
The US has informed the WTO that India's proposed retaliatory tariffs on American steel, aluminum, and automobiles lack a legal foundation. This stance comes after India asserted that US safeguard measures would significantly impact its exports, leading to substantial duty collections. The US defends its tariffs under a national security statute, even as bilateral trade agreement talks continue. The US has told the World Trade Organization (WTO) that there was "no legal basis" for India to propo
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that on his first day in office he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump said the tariffs would remain in place until the two countries ...Read More >
Bengaluru -- Gold prices rose for a second session on Tuesday as the dollar weakened, with markets evaluating the possible consequences of US President Donald Trump's policies in his second term after his inauguration. Spot gold gained 0.6% to $2,724.74/oz by 2.40am GMT. US gold futures was 0.2% lower at $2,742.50. The dollar was down about 1% after reports suggested any new taxes would be imposed in a "measured" way. A weaker dollar makes gold more attractive to foreign buyers. "There is a sense of relief in risk sentiment to know that tariffs have not been an immediate focus. The unwindin ...Read More >
Mumbai, Feb 10: The rupee on Monday plunged 45 paise and moved closer to the 88 per US dollar-level, weighed down by the strength of the American currency tariff concerns, but eventually settled at 87.45, up 5 paise, following RBI intervention. The American currency gained in the overseas market after US President Donald Trump's plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, along with reciprocal tariffs targeting countries taxing US exports. The move has added jitters over the global trade war with China's reciprocal duties coming into effect, they said. At the interban ...Read More >
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia and Canada on Monday signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that aims to strengthen economic ties between the two G20 members, three years after negotiations began. The agreement will take effect in 2026 and was signed in Jakarta by trade ministers of both countries. Indonesia's trade minister, Budi Santoso, said Indonesia appreciated Canada's support for its plan to prioritise its critical minerals sector, which was vital for its sustainable growth. "Together, we advance sustainable critical mineral management, supporting Indonesia's net ...Read More >
As per Moneycontrol's calculations, a 7 per cent growth in the remaining two quarters will put India's GDP at 6.5 per cent. The Indian economy would find it challenging to achieve over 7 per cent growth for the fourth consecutive year, economists said. They pointed out that the second-quarter (Q2) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data, which was announced on November 29, has made the task even more daunting for the government. "A sharper than expected growth slowdown in Q2 has tilted risks to our outlook of 6.8 per cent for the current fiscal downwards," said DK Joshi, chief economist, Crisil. ...Read More >
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Import tariffs expected to be implemented by the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could lower economic growth and inflation in the 20 nations sharing the euro, European Central Bank board member Piero Cipollone said on Tuesday. Most economists agree that the possible tariffs would impact growth, though views diverge on the effect on consumer prices. Some argue the U.S. trade barriers will push up the value of the dollar, making imports of key commodities more expensive, while likely retaliation from Europe will also raise costs. Cipollone, speaking i ...Read More >
New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) After a tepid start to 2025, the IPO market is getting back on track with six main-board companies, including Schloss Bangalore -- owner of luxury hotel chain The Leela, are set to float their initial share-sales this month to collectively mobilise over Rs 11,000 crore, investment banking sources said on Monday. Of the six firms, Borana Weaves and Belrise Industries will launch their IPOs this week. Borana Weaves will float its Rs 144-crore IPO on May 20, while Pune-based Belrise Industries' Rs 2,150-crore IPO will open on May 21. The remaining four companies -- Schl ...Read More >
Trump warns BRICS nations against replacing US dollar Dec 2 (Reuters) - A gauge of emerging market stocks rose on Monday, driven by positive manufacturing data from China and expectations of continued policy support from Beijing, while India's rupee hit a record low because of weaker-than-expected economic data. As of 0932 GMT, the MSCI's index for emerging market stocks had risen by 0.7%, on track for its biggest percentage gain in over three weeks. China's blue-chip CSI 300 climbed 0.8%, and the Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.1% after a private survey indicated that Chinese factory act ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The government on Thursday came out with the definition of green steel and asked the industry to take measures to bring down carbon emissions below the level of 2.2 tonnes on per tonne of finished products. Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy also released a 'taxonomy on green steel' with parameters for giving star ratings on products based on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during the production process. The steel industry has been the backbone of India's industrial growth and it is imperative that this vital sector undergoes a transformative shift towards ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Terming the 5.4 per cent GDP growth in the second quarter as a "temporary phenomena", FICCI President Harsha Vardhan Agarwal on Thursday said the industry body expects India to achieve 6.5-7 per cent economic growth in the current financial year, while projecting a pick up in private investment. In an interview to PTI, Agarwal, who is also the Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Emami Ltd, said the RBI needs to manoeuvre a "tight-rope balancing act" between inflation and economic growth, as he opined that the central bank has been doing a prudent job. Notably, the FI ...Read More >
Chennai: The capacity utilisation of the domestic steel industry is set to drop to 78 per cent for the first time in four years. In order to check unprecedented imports, the government is considering imposing a 25 per cent duty on steel imports. Cheaper imports from China and countries under Free Trade Agreement along with ongoing capacity addition can lead to capacity utilisation of domestic steel mills dropping from 85 per cent in FY2024 to an estimated 78 per cent in the current fiscal, the lowest we have seen in the last four years. The domestic steel industry witnessed an all-time high ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) Stakeholders from the electric vehicle (EV) sector will hold a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal here on January 3 on issues, including infrastructure related to charging and battery swapping, sources said. They said that officials from the Department of Heavy Industries are expected to attend the meeting. Also Read | SOF NSO Results 2024-25 Out at sofworld.org: National Science Olympiad Exam Result Released, Get Direct Link and Know Steps To Download. Representatives from Tata, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz India, Hero MotoCorp, and other companies h ...Read More >
New Delhi, May 27 (PTI) The country's overall goods and services exports are expected to reach USD 1 trillion during 2025-26, according to apex exporters' body FIEO. In 2024-25, the exports were aggregated at USD 825 billion. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President S C Ralhan said merchandise exports will increase from USD 437 billion to USD 525-535 billion in 2025-26. He said that services exports may rise from USD 387 billion to USD 465-475 billion this fiscal. The main sectors which can help push the exports include electrical and electronics (USD 60 billion), machine ...Read More >
The U.S. dollar continued its strong run on Monday, bolstered by soaring Treasury yields and expectations of limited Federal Reserve rate cuts. Meanwhile, the yen steadied ahead of a key speech by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, where he may hint at a possible rate hike in December, with markets pricing a 55% chance of such a move. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato's warning on yen intervention caused a temporary pullback, while the dollar index touched a one-year high of 107.07. Analysts forecast further dollar gains as U.S. economic policies and performance outshine global peers. K ...Read More >
Euro zone government bond yields increased slightly as investors await upcoming inflation data that may influence the European Central Bank's policy direction. Concerns over potential tariff hikes from the U.S. could further impact ECB strategies. Germany's bond yields and political tensions in France also add to the economic uncertainties. On Tuesday, euro zone government bond yields saw a minor increase after hitting multi-week lows in the previous session. Investors are keenly awaiting inflation data later this week that could provide insight into the European Central Bank's potential poli ...Read More >
China and Hong Kong stock markets are experiencing a downturn due to rising concerns over the U.S.-China trade war, particularly regarding proposed tariffs and chip sales restrictions. The CSI300 and Shanghai Composite indexes fell, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 1.32%. Investors are wary of potential new restrictions on semiconductor and AI chip exports to China, further exacerbating market uncertainty. The automotive sector, led by BYD, also suffered from intense price competition among Chinese carmakers. Investor sentiment remains cautious, reflecting fears of escalating trade te ...Read More >
The Chinese yuan was also facing its own challenges from the growing threat of more U.S. tariffs on China, pushing it down to a 13-month trough. Japan's tech-heavy Nikkei jumped 1.6% as of 0200 GMT, and South Korea's KOSPI advanced 1.7%. Taiwanese shares gained 1.1%. Australia's stocks benchmark rose 0.7% and reached a fresh all-time high. However, Chinese stocks were under pressure, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng edging slightly lower and mainland blue chips falling 0.3%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares added 0.7%. Both S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were flat after the cash indexes ...Read More >
Since our last publication, the higher risk-sensitive EUR/CHF cross pair has wobbled as it grappled with the Eurozone's economic weakness and a looming unfavorable external trade environment due to further global supply chain disruptions due to incoming US President-elect Trump's 10% to 20% tariffs threat on other countries' exports to the US, inclusive of the Eurozone. The EUR/CHF inched lower in the week of 18 November (ex-post US Presidential election outcome on 6 November) and retested a key intermediate support of 0.9255, a key swing low made almost a year ago on 29 December 2023. Fig 1 ...Read More >
New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey on Tuesday said the government has taken measures to lower fiscal deficit and delivered a non-inflationary Budget, and hoped that the RBI's monetary policy will work in tandem with fiscal policy to support growth. He also said that although rupee depreciation increases inflation on imported inputs, it also adds to export competitiveness. Pandey said that the government has bettered its fiscal deficit projections for the current fiscal as well as the next. The fiscal deficit for FY'25 has been pegged lower at 4.8 per cent of GDP, low ...Read More >
New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) Alcoholic beverage maker's body CIABC has urged the government to adopt a phased reduction in import duties on liquor products under the proposed India-EU free trade agreement (FTA), while calling for strong safeguards to prevent misuse of trade concessions under the pact. In a submission to the commerce ministry, Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has proposed slashing the effective customs (or import) duty on bottled products like wines and spirits from the current 150 per cent to 100 per cent immediately and then down to a resting customs d ...Read More >
Beijing: China has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States following recent threats by former President Donald Trump to impose new tariffs on Chinese goods. The statement comes amid growing tensions between the two economic giants over trade practices, technology policies, and geopolitical issues. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said that China was open to "constructive dialogue" with the U.S., emphasizing the importance of cooperation to ensure global economic stability. "China believes that both countries should seek common ground and manag ...Read More >
TOI correspondent from Washington: In a warning shot that echoed across major world capitals and business majors on Tuesday, US President-elect Donald Trump said he will issue executive orders on day one of his presidency imposing new tariffs on all imported goods from China, Mexico and Canada, Washington's three largest trading partners, to stop the "invasion" of illegal migrants and drugs into the United States. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump put the onus of containing illegal border crossings squarely on two immediate neighbors on its southern and northern borders, saying "b ...Read More >
Trump's pressure on countries to remain tied to a US-dollar-based financial system could backfire, with potential increased motivation for BRICS to create alternatives. While the dollar's dominance persists due to existing economic strengths, recent global currency agreements indicate a cautious shift away from reliance on the greenback.Donald Trump's pressure on countries around the world to stay anchored to a US-dollar-based financial system is a tactic that risks backfiring, market watchers say. Dollar dominance looks set to continue for the foreseeable future and emerging nations' idea of ...Read More >
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the federal budget for 2025 and the planned period of 2026-2027, with a significant 25 per cent increase in military spending compared to the previous year and a special focus on the development of transport corridors Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the federal budget for 2025 and the planned period of 2026-2027, with a significant 25 per cent increase in military spending compared to the previous year and a special focus on the development of transport corridors, including the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) - t ...Read More >
Stock market today: The Indian stock market clocked healthy gains for the third consecutive session on Tuesday, December 3, led by gains in shares of select heavyweights, including Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and Larsen and Toubro. Benchmark index Nifty 50 jumped 0.70 per cent to the level of 24,445.80, breaking above its 50 and 100-day exponential moving averages (DEMA). According to Trendlyne, an equity research platform, Nifty 50 is above its 100-day EMA of 24,306 and 50-day EMA of 24,364. However, the index is yet to breach its 50-day and 100-day simple moving averages (SMAs) of 24,643 ...Read More >
The United States congressional subcommittee's final report on the Covid-19 pandemic has pointed to the "lab leak" theory, making it the latest US report pinning the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the Wuhan lab in China. "Four years after the onset of the worst pandemic in 100 years, the weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab leak hypothesis," the 500-plus page report said, adding that since they began their work in February 2023, more senior intelligence officials, politicians, science editors, and scientists had "endorsed the hypothesis that COVID-19 emerged as the result ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Dec 11 (PTI) Farmer leader from Punjab Jagjit Singh Dallewal's fast unto death at the Khanauri border point to press the Centre to accept farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops, entered the 16th day on Wednesday. Farmers on Wednesday held prayers for the success of their agitation going on at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana in support of their various demands and for the good health of Dallewal. Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) have been camping at Shambhu ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) India should remain open to investments from China as other developed countries like the US and Germany, with the exception of a handful of sectors, 16th Finance Commission Chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Thursday. He also cautioned that one has to be careful about investments from potentially "unfriendly countries" that might damage the interest of the nation. However, developed countries are accepting investments from China in any particular sector, India can also welcome such investments. "If the US is taking investment from China, if Germany is taking, I would ...Read More >
Tata Steel is bolstering its iron ore supply for its planned 40 MTPA steel production by 2030. With four mine leases expiring in 2030, the company is operationalizing two new mines and negotiating with NMDC and OMC for additional ore. These strategies aim to secure the over 60 MT of iron ore required for the expanded steel capacity.Tata Steel has initiated discussions with state-run miners NMDC and Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) to secure future iron ore supplies as the company ramps up its dome ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) Stakeholders from the electric vehicle (EV) sector will hold a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal here on January 3 on issues, including infrastructure related to charging and battery swapping, sources said. They said that officials from the Department of Heavy Industries are expected to attend the meeting. Representatives from Tata, Mahindra, Mercedes-Benz India, Hero MotoCorp, and other companies have been invited to the deliberations, they added. Earlier in March last year, the government rolled out an electric-vehicle policy, under which duty ...Read More >